


Fates Chosen The Other Uzumaki

by idekitsstrash



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BMAF behaviour, F/M, Family, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Powerful Naruto, War, no beta we die like men, smart naruto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idekitsstrash/pseuds/idekitsstrash
Summary: Au! Their destiny was written in the stars, decades before their birth, bound by the actions of a madman's belief that he could control everything."Whether it was coincidence or fate that brought me to you sooner than I expected, just know that when we part ways, that we'll meet again, I don't know when or where or how. But I know we'll meet again and maybe, hopefully on some sunny day unlike today."Or,In which Uchiha Shisui ended up being the reincarnation of Ōtsutsuki Indra instead of Sasuke and the hatred of cycle ends with him and a certain knucklehead Uzumaki.——Riddled with mistakes here and there. Read at your own risk :)
Relationships: Nagato | Pain & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 434





	1. Of first meetings and friendships

She had been four when she first met him. And he eight, but she hadn't known that. She had been in alley near the Red Light District , crying due to the immense hunger she felt. It was as though her organs were trying to eat each other out in hopes of satisfying her unbearable hunger. And it was nothing new to her. She had learnt how to deal with hunger cramps since a couple of months before she had been kicked out the orphanage, were she had been given nothing but scraps by the Matron, claiming they couldn't constantly feed a demon like her, when there were other important and _worthy_ children who needed to be fed.

And at that tender age of four, she had believed the Matron, and it was then heavily influenced when she had been kicked out the orphanage, into the center of the village, where the villagers would look at her, claiming her a monster and thinking they were privy to ending her life for the lives she had destroyed. She hadn't had no clue what they meant, but she had believed them, thinking herself a monster.

She had been brought out of her musing by the screeching screams of a cat and a boy who flew down, knocking into the garbage cans, capturing the said feline.

She had screamed, thinking he was going to hurt, much like the other villagers. How wrong she had been.

His head had snapped towards her, his eyes widening. She had been scared. She had no reason to be scared of him, he would become her first precious person, but she hadn't known that at that time. She had scrambled up, whizzing past him him, ignoring his shouts of 'wait' and ignoring the strain she was putting on her malnourished body.

Came age five, October 10, her birthday, when she saw him for the second time. And much like the first time, it had been completely accidental.

She had been running away from the drunk villagers, hoping to not be captured and turned into their own personal punching bags again. She had realised that her beatings were worse on this particular day of this particular month. And they always had called her the Kyuubi reincarnation and she believed them, even if her jiji told her she was no such a thing. He wasn't particularly convincing in telling her otherwise she thought, not realising she had bumped into the boy she had seen last year.

He had looked startled at first, before breaking out in a smile, picking her up and bringing her close to his height.

"It's you isn't it. The little sunshine I bumped into sometime last year." She could only nod in confusion. Her? Sunshine? Was he blind? Perhaps, but she wasn't going to judge him too quickly. This was their second meeting and he had done her no harm. He felt warm and safe, _like home ,_ but she didn't want to linger in his arms for fear of being seen by the villagers.

Before she could break away from his grasp, she heard the stampedes of many feets. The villagers had caught up to her and she didn't want this guy to know who she was. He may join them once he had found out exactly _what_ she was.

And with her dire need to escape, she twisted and thrashed in his hands as she heard the drunk slurs of one of the villagers chasing her.

"U...Uch...Uchiha-san, what are you doing with the demon."

She felt her body freeze up in fear as the Uchiha's eyes locked on with hers. His face was blank and she had never felt so scared. She hadn't wanted the only person, who by far hadn't hurt her, to now lay a hand on her.

She had cowered under his gaze and before she could turn tails, he had tugged her further into him, before addressing the herd of villagers.

"I'm sure the Hokage will be most pleased to see that his people have gone against his very law to not speak of such thing."

She had heard the stuttered out apology as they all left, not hurting her. She had never felt such relief. It was her first birthday, as far as she could remember, that she wasn't beaten up a bloody mess.

"Thank you Uchiha-san." She had whispered out. He had put her back on her feet, kneeling down to her height, placing two fingers under her chin, bringing her head level to his as they looked at each other.

"Hm, it's fine. What's your name sunshine? I'm Uchiha Shisui."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto ttebayo." She mumbled out, her nerves getting the best of her and bringing forth her verbal tick.

She heard him laugh and felt her face heat up. She knew her name was not very feminine, but her jiji had told her that that was what her parents had decided to name her, and she quite liked it, even if some people interpreted it as fish cake, she quite liked its original meaning, a maelstrom.

"Maelstrom huh, it suits you Naruto." She blinked at him, not having expected that answer.

She smiled before letting out a small laugh as she realised she hadn't been this carefree in sometime and it felt nice, it felt nice to be treated so normal and with that she had also come to the realization that she'd treasure this first happy memory of hers.

"Yeah and don't you forget it 'cuz I'm going to become Hokage ttebayo."

He laughed, picking her and swinging her on to his back, essentially giving her a piggyback. "In that case, let's enjoy the festival then Naruto."

Age five, and Uzumaki Naruto made her first friend in the form of Uchiha Shisui. Not knowing that years down the road, she and him would take the Shinobi world by storm and in the processes becoming the ultimate hero's of the Elemental Nation.

* * *

The way Shisui would tell her of his Academy days, talking about how he and his friends would get up to no good, pranking teachers and sometimes skipping class had hardened Naruto's resolve to ask the Hokage if he could enroll her into the academy, because she wanted to experience that. She wanted to have at least a friend or two, because as of right now Shisui was her only friend and as much as she loved him, he was hardly around with him becoming Chunin.

When she had asked, the Hokage had refused time and time again until she had the ingenious idea of painting the faces on the Hokage Monument that he had relented with the compromise that she wouldn't do any pranks that could put her and others in danger. She had agreed. As if she was even capable of hurting others with harmless pranks.

And when Shisui had asked her how she had gotten her way, she told him, and he had laughed, saying she was the most unpredictable person he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She had beamed at him, asking him that when she started the academy if he could help train her. He had agreed, but with him becoming Chunin and spending most of his days outside the village, their lessons were few and far in between, but she treasured those moments spent together all the same.

* * *

Really, the academy was boring she thought as she drowned out Iruka Sensei's voice. He really had the most boring voice she had ever heard, having the ability to put her to sleep, and it wasn't like she ever understood anything he said with the way he loved to sound all fancy when going over Konoha's history. More so, she really disliked him for he would always pick on her when they had to read, and she rather detested it for the words would always muddle up, rearranging itself and she'd pronounce them wrong and everyone would laugh at her, calling her an idiot and the dead last, even though Shikamaru had taken that spot, she was only second to him ttebayo.

When she had first joined the academy. She had thought of it as a new start, a new beginning but with luck on her side it had seemed that the hatred that was more prominent in the elders of the village had stemmed itself onto those of her age group as they would always leave her out or say rather hurtful things to her.

_She hated it._

She hated feeling like an outcast. She hated how the girls in her class would always pick on her appearance, especially Sakura, saying how she looked more like a boy than a girl. It _wasn't her fault_ her hair was short and messy. It _wasn't her fault_ she couldn't afford better clothes even though she absolutely adored her orange jumpsuit. _It just wasn't her fault that everyone seemed to hate her._

And the only people she could really hang out with were Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba _who'd she'd invite to skip classes with._ And other than that, Naruto had no friends. No acquaintance. Absolutely nothing. Just herself. Everyone seemed to dislike her for some reason or another.

 _Except Hinata._ She thought, but the girl would always turn red and faint around her. So she had given up on the quiet girl.

And just like any other, the academy ended with her getting picked on and mocked by her peers and teachers alike that she had a stray thought of just simply quitting the academy and being done with their bullshit.

"No I won't ever quite. I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I never give up ttebayo." She huffed out, kicking the dirt underneath her sandals, not realising that three pair of eyes were staring at her. Two in amusement and the other in exasperation whilst they muttered a 'Usurotonkachi' under their breath.

"And don't forgot you want to become Hokage right, so no quitting just yet Naruto." Her head snapped up, an infectious smile crossing her face as she cried out;

"Shisui." as she flung her arms around him, climbing him like a tree. He laughed at her antics, rearranging her in his arms whilst the other two who had accompanied him looked on, wondering how the pair knew each other.

"What you doing here, not that I'm not happy to see you ttebayo." She said, pulling on one his curly locks. They were extremely soft and she had the habit of playing with his untameable curls whenever they were together.

"Can't I visit my favourite person without a reason." He said, pouting at her. She giggled at that. He looked so girly when he did that but she'd never tell him that. Shisui really had the wildest mood swings and she had learnt that the hard way. It was difficult keeping up with his mood swings half the time and despite how amusing it was to her, she preferred to avoid them as much as possible, he was impossibly hard to deal with when in one of his moods

"Since I'm your favourite person you gonna treat me to ramen neh." He huffed a laugh, hiking her up, before gesturing to two other people.

"Yes but first, there's two people I want you to meet." He said as they walked closer to the duo.

And as she looked at them she realised Sasuke Teme was there and a girly looking boy.

"Eh, how'd you know Sasuke-teme Shisui." She felt Sasuke's stare at her as though she was stupid whilst the long haired boy let out a small chuckle at the use of 'teme' that accompanied Sasuke's name.

"Sasuke-kun here is my cousin and the other one is Itachi, his brother." She stared at Shisui in shock. How was such a teme related to her Shisui. He was so kind and cool and then there was Sasuke all broody and angry and so not cool.

"Let's get you guys familiar with each other over a bowl of ramen, and feed this one's bottomless pit of monster she calls a stomach." She could only blush in embarrassment at Shisui's statement as the quadruple made their way to Naruto's favourite ramen stand.

* * *

Naruto was happy. After having met Itachi and Sasuke, the latter and her had become close friends. He had found out about her troubles of reading and how she couldn't decipher the words. He had told Iruka Sensei who had apologised and had given her supplementary lessons after class that they had found out she had a mild case of dyslexia. The extra classes had boosted her grades up and she wasn't as half as bad as she was before. And even Iruka sensei had stopped giving her those looks which she had seen in the villagers. He'd even treat her to ramen from time to time! He really had become her favourite teacher!

But the downside of having become Sasuke-temes friends were those horrid fan girls. They creeped her out as much as they creeped Sasuke and her two other Uchiha's out.

They would always badger her about Sasuke, questioning her about Sasuke's favourite underwear and things girls their age should not be asking.

_It was weird and disturbing._

_She really hated it._

And she really hated how Sakura would try and be her friend, _after having refused Naruto's friendship first,_ just to get close to Sasuke. As if she'd let anyone sink their claws on her teme. Humph!

And said teme would only laugh at her. He'd even went as far as to use her as protection against his fangirls. Damn Uchiha's and their fangirls!

"Teme!" She shouted, having had enough of being chased by fangirls.

He looked at her, arching an eyebrow at her, smirking his damn Uchiha smirk.

She smirked back at him, grabbing him by his ear as he let out a yelp, demanding she let him go. She ignored him and dragged him to the other side of the playground where his fangirls were suited and dropped him off there, letting him suffer the abuse of those horrid fangirls he tried so hard to avoid.

And as she walked away, she heard his grunts and screams and couldn't but help laugh.

Served the teme just right.

Age six, and Uzumaki Naruto's precious people list had gained two other individuals, who adored her as much as she adored them, not knowing that they would become the family she always wished she had.


	2. Tragey is a mans bestfriend

Three years have passed and she's age nine. Over those three years, her and her trio of Uchiha's had become close. Itachi and Shisui taking the time to teach and train her and Sasuke in the art of being a shinobi, which she was thankful for, because if they hadn't, she was sure she would be as awful as the rest of the civilians in the class.

Itachi had gained her interest by teaching her fúin-justu, claiming he had read somewhere that Uzumaki'a were renowned for their specialty in sealing. She had taken it as easy as breathing. She had also promised herself to look up the Uzumaki name up, or simply annoy information out of Itachi, which she had done, he had then passed her onto his other who much to happy to answer her questions about the Uzumaki clan. She had thanked him by gifting him with different flavoured dango which he had devoured in no time and pestering her to make him more whenever he left on missions and she had obliged, thinking it cute that he had such a sweet tooth despite his cold outwards appearance.

And over the past three years, Itachi and Shisui had joined ANBU, and she hated it. There were times were they were so detached from her and Sasuke and weren't their usual selves. They seemed completely different, as though they were shadows of who they used to be. _She detested these changes in them. She wanted them to quit the ANBU, but she knew she could not ask them to do that. It would be to damn selfish of her._

It hurt her to see them suffering but she couldn't do anything about it. And what she had realised was the tension between the Uchiha's and the villagers had increased. _They were treated the same way she was treated. Like trash. Like nothing. And she hated it_. She remembered asking Shisui if something had happened between them, but he had told her to not worry and that it would die down soon, but that had been over a year ago.

And here she was in the academy classroom, hoping to see Sasuke, but just like the three other days before, he didn't attend. And what had worried her more was the fact that she hadn't seen Itachi and Shisui either in over a week.

She had gotten her answer when Iruka Sensei came into class that morning, telling them how some of the Uchiha clan had been massacred whilst the others were either in the hospital or in therapy.

She didn't let him finish before she was off running out the classroom, ignoring Iruka's warning for her to get back.

 _No_.

She couldn't. For all she knew her three precious people could be as good as dead. She needed to know if they were still alive and breathing and still in the world of living.

She couldn't lose the only three people who treated her like _Naruto. Like a human and not a monster_. _A demon_.

She finally reached the hospital, skidding to a halt in front of the receptionist, who didn't bat an eye at her abrupt appearance.

"What rooms are Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke in." She rasped out.

The receptionist gave her a glance over before promptly ignoring her. Naruto wouldn't take this. She was trying to find out their conditions, and this women was refusing to answer her for what reasons.

"Excuse me, could you please tell me their room numbers." She ground out. The lady snapped her teeth together, sneering at her.

"You can drop whatever presents you brought for the Uchiha's over there, alongside the other fangirls." She scoffed, she didn't have time for this but before she could snap a retort, she heard Jiji's voice.

"It's fine Himari-san. Come on Naruto-chan, room 361 is where they are." She beamed a smile at him, thanking him as she zoomed down the hall, ignoring the shouts of the other medic nins to not run in the hospital and profusely apologising until she reached her goal.

She came to a halt in front of the room, slowly opening the door and sticking her head in to see if they were in there. And to her delight she found her boys in there, two of them sleeping peacefully.

She stepped fully into the room, her eyes scanning them and she internally winced when she realised Shisui had it the worse, he had a bandage covering his right eye. _Poor thing_ she thought before jumping onto his bed as he was the only one awake.

"Hey." She whispered as she tucked herself into his side. He hand going up to play with his hair.

"Hey yourself, finally decided to grace me with your presence huh." He said with a smile and she could only give a strained smile in return.

She let the silence fall upon them for quite some time before she dared asked her question.

"Is everything alright." He didn't reply for sometime, simply leaning into her touch as she continued massaging his head. He let out a content sigh before answering her.

"It will be. We put everything on the line that night." She wanted to ask what happened and what he meant by that, but she stopped herself as she heard the reluctance in his voice to answer her question. She'll let him be for now show thinks.

"I'm glad your alive, I don't know what I would do without you ttebane." She said snuggling into his side and she felt his chuckle vibrate through his chest and onto her cheek.

"I'm glad too. Can't let anyone snatch you away from me now can I." She only huffed a laugh in response, pressing her face further into his chest as they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

Age nine, and Uzumaki Naruto had felt true fear. The thought of loosing her three precious people had unsettled her greatly.

Age nine, and she's already promising herself she'd be strong enough to protect her three Uchiha's, even if it meant sacrificing every bone in her body to assure their safety.

_They were her's to protect, her's to care for and she'd be damned if she let anyone take them away from her._

* * *

He constructed the performance, as though he was their God, writing each and every script to it's significant person, manipulating the stage. Shimura Danzo was the author of all the misfortune events that took place in Naruto's life within the village.

In his eyes, Uzumaki Naruto was diamond amongst jewels, with her Uzumaki blood and the Kyuubi's chakra, and its other beneficial properties it held, the training regiment he would have put her through would have been light work. She would have become Konoha's hidden treasure unlike her damned mother.

He had laid out the foundation of her upbringing, manipulating the Hokage into his very palm as her status as a Jinchuriki was exposed to her villagers. She would have been brought up a broken and bitter child who would crave attention and acknowledgment. He would then step into the light, he would lend a hand, pretend to care, gain her trust and then mold her into the perfect war machine. It had worked to an extent for she had the abused life he wished her to have.

But like most plans, his had been thwarted. Uchiha Shisui had come into the picture and befriended the girl and then followed by Uchiha Itachi and his little brother. Everything he had worked hard to achieve had become null, void. He'd have to redo everything. He'd have to be patient and bid his time.

His patience had payed off in the form of Uchiha Shisui and Itachi, both joining ANBU. And Danzo, much like his sensei, Senju Tobirama, saw the Uchiha's as a ticking time bomb. Their blasted dōjutsu was a force to reckon for it's powers would only grow more powerful at the loss of a loved one despite the absurdity of the situation.

He had already tainted the Uchiha Clans reputation. Planting the seed of how their famed sharingan could control the Kyuubi, and it had worked. Tension between them and the villagers had increased. Then came Itachi and Shisui, both protégés in their own right and both the pacifist within their clan. He came to them offering a place in ANBU, saying it would do their clan well. They accepted and he couldn't help but be smug.

At first, he had only done it to remove Uchiha Shisui and Itachi from the girl's life, by sending them on missions which would either be life or death situation in order to have her broken. But then another chance revealed itself. The Uchiha's were planning a coup, he'd destroy them both at once. Eliminating the clan, killing Shisui himself and have Itachi masscare his clan by using his little brother as leverage and therefore making Uchiha Itachi a missing nin in the processes and then he'd have the girl right were he'd want her.

But it had seemed he had walked into his own trap. Those two had known what he was planning and had informed the Hokage, not that it had it been effective as they hoped. He was able to steal Uchiha Shisui's right eye, for he had the greatest matured Sharingan in his clan and Itachi having unlocked his one that night when he had seen his brother's near apparent death state.

He had retreated, pinning everything on one of his ROOT ANBU. It would give him the chance to rid his place of evidence and his Hokage would not be able to extract punishment on him for he would be clean.

Soon later, everything had calmed down, and the Uchiha's had integrated back into the village for the Massacre had been pinned on one his ROOT ANBU as well as the incident involving the Kyuubi. Everything's he had worked for had came crushing down. Regardless of his plans not coming into fruition, his time gathering intel on the jinchuriki had not gone down the drain, for he knew that betrayal would be something she would no take kindly to, specially when it would come from someone she held in high regards.

Jinchuriki's were better to brought to him broken, bitter and alone, and then, and only then, would they become the ultimate treasure among golds, for having a jinchuriki who could control its Bijuu' was a perfect tool, and a perfect tool was a perfect Shinobi and vice versa.

* * *

Came age ten and Naruto finds out the villagers believe that she's the unwitting personification of the Kyuubi, reincarnated in it's human form as the villagers watch her pitiful life through a backstage curtain, pointing fingers at her, dehumanizing her for she is not a human but rather a demon.

She finds it rather humorous that she's not been told of her burden ,but yet others are given the knowledge about her. Ten years of her life she had been wondering were she stood amongst her fellow villagers only to find out she was on a complete different level from them.

She was the outcast, orphaned child who had been chosen to become the Kyuubi's reincarnation , when in actuality she was it's container, its jailer. But there were to narrow minded to see that. They were only civilians after all. But yet Naruto could not fathom for what reason civilians had to know about her burden, because according to the old man who had told her, she was part of the Shinobi faction despite not being one yet, her status alone had already laid out the foundation for the rest of her life. So for them to know, and judge her for something they had no knowledge on had made her blood boil, for it had been the Hokage who told them but yet had refused to tell her. He had straight up lied to her for ten consecutive years, whilst both Shinobi's and Civilians alike knew but not her, the very one suffering in this damned situation.

She had trusted him. He had been the one to find her a home when she had been kicked out the orphanage even though it had been Shisui's not so subtle hints that he had been dropping to the Hokage, that she had been given her own place. He had been the first person to care for her before Shisui had.

So this was far worse than betrayal to Naruto and when she had confronted him about it, he had tried denying it until she had lied, saying she had spoken to the Kyuubi, that the old man had spilled everything. She had been shaken to her core. She called him out on his bullshit about caring about her, because if he had, he would not have revealed her status, just like they had done with her mother. And he had been surprised she had known, and had demanded she tell him who had told her. She had laughed a bitter and watery laugh, wondering who he was to demand such a thing when he had kept her parents and her burden a secret from her, something she had always been entitled to know.

"So first you withhold the reason I'm hated and now you don't want me learning who my parent were. I've suffered enough under your decisions. I refuse to let you take away the one person who knew my parents away from me. I think you have already done enough damage in my life Hokage-sama." And she had left his office, chocking on her sobs as she visited her mother's grave , simply laying there until the night had given way into the early rays of the sun.


	3. Revelation and a promise of a lifetime

The biting chill of the morning wind skittered around Naruto's body, frost bites dotted upon her fingers and and her nose, her red rimmed eyes fluttering open as the sunrise loomed over Konoha, last night's events coming back to her like train wreck as her body froze up, her breath hitching, before regaining what little composure she had left. It wouldn't do her well to dwell on her status as a _Jinchuriki, a Military war weapon._ Those words leaving a bitter taste on her tongue as she got up from her mother's grave, making her way out the cemetery.

Walking down the quiet street of Konoha in the early morning, with its lack of hustling around and it's chit chatter amongst shopkeepers, was a fresh breath of air for her for their was no stares filled with hatred or the muttered _demon or monster_ under their breath. She was simply Naruto, another citizen in Konohagakure, simply taking a walk in the early morning chill.

 _If only everyday could be like this._ She thought.

She had grown up with resentful gaze upon her very shoulders as she walked passed these very streets every day as a toddler and now a child. Really though, she didn't feel like a child. Not when your own villagers robbed you of your own childhood, forcing you to grow up to quickly if you valued your life. Her life was bittersweet. Being shown kindness was rare, and being acknowledged and treated as a human was even more _rare._

She wondered why she had to be chosen, why she had to be the scapegoat for the villagers to dish out their anger on her, not that she wanted anyone to ever experience what she gone through, but that little wayward thought had its point. _Why her? What made her special to be it's container? Was it because she was just another orphan, so it was easier to pass the burden to a nobody like her?_ She hadn't been the one who killed their loved ones, she had no blood on her hands, comrades or enemies alike. She was clean. They saw her as the nine tailed fox. Their hatred, pain and sorrow blinding their judgement and causing them to act out irrationally. To lash out on a mere babe, who had suffered more than they had, carrying the consequence of someone else's punishment.

_It wasn't fair, that she had to be punished for something that had been out of her hands. The world was a cruel place to live- only surviving was the key to living, and that in itself was a bitter thought._

And it's at age ten, that Uzumaki Naruto realizes that war was the cause of this endless cycle of hatred. Mindless killing lead to vengeance which people would call it 'justice' as a way to not see themselves as the villain, and that in itself only bread more revenge, setting the first link in the chain of hatred. It was in an endless cycle of love, hatred, pain and revenge. Never ending. Following them in their very shadows, seducing them into its very trap and breeding hatred like a cattle for slaughter.

She wondered how many people fell into the trap of extracting justice to those who had done them wrong, and if it was worth it in the end. _To be the cause of one's pain, in their selfish attempt to salvage what little connection that they had to whomever they lost._ Did the guilt follow them until they finally realized that they were no better than the one who caused them pain? Or were they simply to ignorant to see the error of their ways, believing that their actions were warranted?

She let out a sigh, it wouldn't do her well to dwell on the cycle of hatred. It wasn't her place, no not yet, but when she would become a Shinobi, she'd right it's wrong, bringing forth a new era. She'd bring peace and reunite the Elemental Nation, stopping the unnecessary bloodshed of friends and foes alike.

She found herself nearing the Konoha entrance gates, wide and tall. The path leading out obscured by trees. She found herself thinking how it would feel like to leave this village, to be free of the villagers hatred. To start anew. Be a new person. Forget that she was a _Jinchuriki_.

Her mind filled with wonder at the thought of being someone new, shedding her identity as _Uzumaki Naruto_ that she hadn't realised that there was man, sitting on a tree branch, inspecting her as she towed the line between staying or leaving this village.

He moved silently towards the girl, his lithe form towering over the small child as he inspected her. She was a small thing, with shoulder length messy red hair, whisker marks on her cheeks and malnourished body. As he carried on his inspection, he realized they shared more similarities than he had expected but he didn't comment on it, waiting for the girl to exchange the first words between them, knowing she had felt his presence besides her.

"People usually avoid a walking disaster like me sir. I don't think it would be in your best interest to be seen with Konoha's demon." He hummed in response, still not moving from his place beside her. He figured she was an oddity, raised with no compassion, believing herself to be a demon with the way her voice sounded so broken and bitter, the remnants of pain on the tip of her tongue.

"Sometimes, the true demons are the ones who create them." She looked a him, breaking into a small lopsided smile; "So everyone's a demon in their own right." He nodded, because that was the truth, everyone had their own demons, whether it be literally or figuratively. The life of a Shinobi ensured that.

They stayed in silence for sometime, enjoying the rays of the sun, the skittering of the leaves as the chit chatter and the daily hustle began, civilians and shinobi's alike staring at the two redheads.

"You know I've never seen you around and you've never told me your name shinobi-san."

"Names have power in the Elemental Nations, you should know that shouldn't you little Kitsune."

"I suppose, but for someone like me it doesn't matter, maybe sometime in the future, but as of right now, I don't have much to lose." He stared at her, wondering what kind of pain she had been through to sound so uncaring, broken and wise for her age. She reminded him of himself with a bit of Yahiko mixed in before Jiriaya had taken them under his wing.

"If that's what you believe, then I suppose I can indulge you this once. You can do the honor of stating your name first."

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

He let out a small laugh, a smile flittering on his face.

"Nagato. Uzumaki Nagato."

* * *

_"Nagato. Uzumaki Nagato."_

Uzumaki? She was an Uzumaki and so was he. They were related then, but according to Mikoto-san who had told her about her mother and the destruction of her homeland, Uzu, there were hardly any surviving Uzumaki's left. _This boy? Man?_ Was definitely a survivor and probably one of the last remaining Uzumaki's besides herself.

Call her selfish, or blame it on her less than stellar childhood, but she couldn't help but want to keep this man here. Because this person claiming to be an Uzumaki was family, despite not knowing how closely they were related, it didn't matter to her, for family was family, it was simple as that. She had a living relative, who she shared a blood connection with. She was not a clan-less orphan with no surviving family because this man was living proof that she wasn't. She wanted to be with this man, know everything about him. Be by his side, learn about her heritage from him. Learn about her ancestors. She wanted to find a family in him, a brother in him for he only looked a couple of years older than Shisui.

And speaking of them, she knew considered him, Itachi and Sasuke as a family, but they were a makeshift family, and right know, loathe she is to admit it, they really didn't compare to him. They wouldn't know how it felt to grow up an orphan, and then suddenly comes a person sharing your last name, looking exactly how a Uzumaki would look like. He was blood family, whilst they weren't.

He was Uzumaki Nagato and she was Uzumaki Naruto. In some ways, she saw them as two peas in a pod. And if everything Mikoto-san had told her about her homeland was true, then he grew up an Orphan like her. He would know how it would feel to starve, to not know your family and grow up like a common street rat, rummaging through garbage and helping the local ladies who used their body, just to get some food or stay somewhere safe for a night. And even if he didn't experience that, she wouldn't care, because he was her last connection to her heritage and them becoming a family. Because family stick together.

She would grasp this opportunity in her two hands, hold it tight and in a firm grip and refuse to let go.

"Uzumaki Nagato and Uzumaki Naruto huh." She said, gazing up at the man who had a bittersweet smile on his face.

"It has a nice ring to it doesn't it little Kitsune." She agreed because it did and she couldn't help but think back to his words of Names having power. His and her name had instantly forged a connection between them and she rather liked that. And because this turn of events certainly had changed everything. And hopefully this change would be a good thing in the long run.

"You're not going to leave are you." She demanded, filling the silence as she tried to suppress the nervous butterflies in her stomach and reign in the plea to ask him to stay if his answer was yes.

He didn't reply for some time, gazing out towards the path that held his exit and his possible return if he decided to leave.

"Whether it was coincidence or fate that brought me to you sooner than I expected, just know that when we part ways, that we'll meet again, I don't know when or where or how. But I know we'll meet again and maybe, hopefully on some sunny day unlike today." To Naruto it sounded like a promise of a lifetime, to Nagato it was a promise of a lifetime to reunite himself with the little Uzumaki, for she had become his family in this short period of time.

She chocked back a sob, finally letting the tears fall as she comprehended the words. He would always come back for her because he promised.

Nagato moved to embrace the girl, pulling out a medium sized scroll and placing it in her pocket.

"But it's not goodbye just yet. Despite having known I would meet you sometime this week, I'm glad to have you met your tad bit earlier. I think it's time we get to know each other Naruto."

"Yeah, I'd like that." She mumbled into his embrace.

* * *

The minutes spent with Nagato bled into hours as they immersed themselves in each other learning of their dislikes, likes and hobbies and their future goal which surprisingly was the same.

"World peace. It sounds like a far fetched dream but there's so much unnecessary bloodshed, pain and hatred for it to simply be corrected by another war. And I know I haven't experienced war, but with the way Shisui and Itachi described it, they made it out to sound as though it left one a shadow of their former selves, broken and bitter, and the fact they had been only kids when they were sent to fight a losing battle." Naruto said, slurping her fourth bowl of ramen. And Nagato couldn't help but agree with those words, War left a man a shell of his former self.

He paused, cupping his bowl in his hands, his face taking on exhausted and bittersweet and somewhat nostalgic expression. And in that moment as he comprehend her words, Naruto really had reminded him of himself and his philosophy on peace and war. They were much to alike right know and he hoped that his presence in her life would change her outlook. He didn't want her becoming bitter when she found out her dream would only stay a dream if she didn't comprehend the reasons why war was waged. Sometimes it was the most pettiest thing that could start unnecessary bloodshed and not everyone could be saved.

"Dreams such as yours are simply dreams for every shinobi and civilian alike who wish to be the one to create world peace. Ideologies of peace is what makes you foolish and thoughtless. We can't escape war, it runs in our blood, dancing on our subconscious, seducing us into its mindless killing and bloodshed. If you kill someone, someone will kill you and this, is the hatred that binds us all. World peace is nothing but a child's dream, but even then a child will grow as they experience war and the pain that comes with it, affecting their way of thinking and their views on life. Your Shisui and Itachi would be considered examples." He responds.

They're both silent, each contemplating each other's words. Nagato wondering what kind of war raged within her village to make her sound too wise, too old, too mature, too knowing. But the answer was their in front of him. Even Jiriaya sensei had even told him about how Jinchuriki's were treated.

And he couldn't help but wonder who had it worse, him who watched his parents die before his eyes and then growing up an orphan but later having Konan and Yahiko to keep the hatred at bay and then later Jiraiya who had shown him that hatred wouldn't get him far in his conquest to kill those who murdered his parents, or Naruto who had lost both her parents, ignorant about who they were and her heritage, being treated as demon and having to raise herself. She had suffered at the wrong hands. Naruto was the one who truly had lost everything before she could even grasp it in her hands. They truly lived in a cruel world.

He was brought out of his musing by her reply, and he smiled, really it was nostalgic, he had said the exact same thing to Jiraiya sensei when he asked him about how he would obtain peace. It was also no wonder she had been named after the hero in his book.

She was the child prophecy and he'd be an absolute idiot to let her carry the burden of saving the Elemental Nations by herself.

"I may not know how to get peace exactly Nagato, but I know in order to find it's meaning one must share someone's pain, and then, maybe, and only then could we truly ever understand each other for pain is what can truly bring us to break the curse of hatred." Her voice was full of conviction and Nagato knew she would bring forth a new era, maybe not right now for she was still a mere child, but soon, in the not so distant future, Uzumaki Naruto would be a force to reckon with and he'd be there every step of the way.

He laughs, its bright and heartwarming and Naruto can't help but flush at the laugh directed to her. It was so pure and genuine, not mocking her at all. He pulls out a book and it reads, The Tales Of A Gutsy Ninja.

"You were named after the hero in this book, read it and you'll find out how much you have in common with them." She beams a him, tracing the back of it's spine. It's worn but yet in good condition.

They both leave the ramen stand in good moods as Nagato retells of his experience of visiting Uzu with Jiriaya and promising her that she'll visit her homeland as well.

The week passes and she grows close with Nagato and she finds a brother in him. He tells her about Jiraiya sensei, the author of the book he gave her and their travels around the Elemental Nations with two other individuals. She tells him she wants to meet his sensei and experience the wonders of travelling and he tells her soon, very soon that she'll take his place for he would be visiting her soon. She's ecstatic to hear that. She can't wait to explore the walls outside of Konoha.

She's happier than she's ever been really. It doesn't feel like she's got the weight of the world on her shoulders anymore. She doesn't feel weighed down by the hate filled stares of the villagers for Nagato is at her side, guiding her through every encounters, encouraging her to remember her goal and to not let hatred fill her instead. That one day she would be the one to break the cycle of hatredand bring peace amongst them.

Naruto's happy and she's glad she was able to spend the week with one of her true remaining relatives.

"Jiriaya sensei is in need of me now." He says that morning as the sun set's high into the sky and the chirps of the birds fill in the morning silence. She's sad to see him go but she knows she'll see him again for he had promised.

"I promise you, we'll meet again sometime soon." He whispers, hugging the girl, as she latches onto his cloak, her small frame shaking against his as she cries her eyes out, refusing to part with him, thinking as though she would wake up and to find out it was only a dream. A figment of her imagination.

"It's a promise of a lifetime Naruto, we'll always meet, no matter the distance for family always sticks together." And with that he shunshined away, leaving a swirl of leaves in is wake.

Her feet dragged her back to her apartment, fresh batch of tears leaking from her hope filled cerulean eyes, clinging to the promise like a lifeline as she entered her apartment, the warmth hitting her like a heatwave.

Her breath hitches as she makes her way into her small living room, her eyes meeting Shisui's worried gaze. She hadn't realized how she had not been in his company or the other's in the past week, her attention on her new found family. The guilt consumes her for leaving her first precious person in a state of worry whilst she had been enjoying someone's else's company. And before she knew it, her emotions had gone haywire as everything truly catched up to her. The past week had took it's toll on her, both emotionally and mentally and she found herself a blubbering mess in Shisui's arm as she told him everything, she felt content knowing that Shisui knew what took place that week and soon after sleep claimed her as his as she lay against Shisui's chest.


	4. Reaping old wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick info so you guys don't get confused. I'm making it that Obito and Shisui are brothers, three year difference, Obito 'dies' age 11, Shisui was 8, and a year later their mother commits suicide, so basically when Shisui was 9 and met Naruto for the second time! Hopefully this clears everything up for this chapter :)

Fall gave into winter with Naruto throwing herself into the scrolls that Nagato left her, the months flew by with her taijutsu improving, her seals developing and with her staring to create her own seals when she found out that there was no true limit to sealing, her imagination had went to work, developing seals after seals and having her trio of Uchiha's test them out, most of them working like a charm, and what had genuinely surprised the Uzumaki was the fact that her dyslexia did not intervene when she made her seals. She had been ecstatic at that, finally having something that didn't hinder one of her favorite past time.

And with the months merging into a year, her relationship with Shisui had also improved, and had taken a turn when she hit age thirteen and he being seventeen. She was at the age were she herself was developing and starting to admire the other gender. And boy had Shisui grown into a man. He stood towering over her, his shoulders broad and wide, his voice deep and husky which she found herself fantasizing about. She had become an incoherent blabbering mess in front of him and she hated it. He was a damn charmer and knew how to get her hot and flustered and then pretending he hadn't done anything and having the audacity to ask her what had gotten her so red in the face.

It had all started when she asked him to help her with Kenjutsu for it was something her clan were also renowned for and Shisui had agreed, his face taking on a mischievous look which she hadn't liked.

He would come up all close and personal as he showed her the stances, his hands lingering a bit too long on her hips, tracing the waistband of her pants, or snaking his hands under her shirt and laying flat on her stomach, his hot breath fanning down on her neck as he stood behind her, his arm wrapped around her waist, pressing her against his body. It would leave her a blushing and stuttering mess and he would smirk at her as though he knew he had that affect on her and then have the audacity to wink at her, laughing at the dumbfounded expression she knew was on her face.

And there were times were she'd catch him checking her whilst they did their kata's and he would be ogling her when she was in rather comprising positions, his sharingan flaring and cocky smirk adorning his chiseled face and as much as she wanted to deny that she didn't like his attention, she did, she liked it a lot. He knew it. She knew it. Itachi knew it and damn did Itachi's partner know as well. But she was only thirteen, still a child in more ways than one and he was a man. He had stopped being a child when he went to war. Became a young adult when he saw his mother die and later when he witnessed the slaughter of some of his clansmen. He didn't need a child such as herself to hold him back.

"As much as I like to see you daydreaming about me sunshine, don't you have an academy graduation to attend." Her head snapped to her window where her Uchiha was leaning against, his usual smirk in place.

"I was so not dreaming about you ttebayo." she snapped at him, finishing her ramen off and placing her bowl in the sink, glaring up at the Uchiha.

A sly smirk made it's way onto Shisui face as he approached his Uzumaki who looked much like a deer caught in headlights and he couldn't help but laugh at her expression. _She looked too fucking cute._

"Thought I'd stop by and give you a good luck present before you take your graduation test." His walk was borderline predatory as he cornered her between the wall and his body and fuck did he like that blush coating her tanned cheeks.

"Don't need a good luck present from you ttebane." She mumbled and he couldn't but help laugh at how shy she had already gotten.

"Yeah sure." And before he could chicken out, he pressed his lips to hers and preened like a peacock when she responded to him with as much eagerness as he had displayed. They pulled back before going in for another and another till he had to pull away so things didn't go further than it needed to. And before he could tell her to get a move along, she pulled him for another kiss, her face taking on a nice shade of pink as she left her apartment in a blur of orange and blue.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was quiet the enigma to Uchiha Shisui. When he had first met her, he been age eight, on his first D rank.

Really he had been surprised, he had been catching Tora, that blasted demon cat, when he had seen her. And as cheesy and cliché as it may sound even to himself, he had thought she was the sun on earth, but he realised the sun doesn't scream nor does it run, and he could only watch her run as a series of 'waits' left his mouth. And since that day he had been looking for his little sunshine, and really it shouldn't have been hard to find an orange clad little girl with hair as red as a tomato, but for the love of Hashirama's left nut, he hadn't found her that year.

Came the following year, the Kyuubi festival when he had bumped into her, technically her running into his legs and him just stupidly blinking at the girl whom he had been searching for. When he had realised it was her, he couldn't help but smile, picking her up and bringing her face to face with him. She was honestly the cutest child he had ever met.

But his happy mood had been cut short when a villager had asked him what he was doing with a 'demon'. He had felt the girl freeze up in his arms, and it dawned to him with great horror that she was the Jinchuriki and had clearly been chased by the drunken villagers. And at that point, he hadn't understood the wild fire that had started in his chest, screaming at him to protect this little girl. And Uchiha Shisui was not the type to go against his instinct, so he done exactly that, threatening the little horde of villagers as they stuttered out an apology.

The relief, happiness and disbelief that shone in the girl's eye had his heart clenching painfully and fury rushing through his veins like molten lava. He had brushed aside her thanks', it was just common courtesy, he shouldn't be thanked for such a humane decision.

"What's your name sunshine. I'm Uchiha Shisui."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto ttebayo." He couldn't help but laugh, thinking her name was rather unique and finding her little verbal tick cute. _His Little Maelstrom Sunshine. He like the sound of that._

And that had been the beginning of their relationship.

The years flew by and he had introduced her to Itachi and Sasuke. Her and Sasuke becoming thick as thieves. Him, Itachi and Sasuke becoing her makeshift family.

But they had been nearly ripped away from her. Danzo had manipulated them but it had turned in their favour. Came the night of the massacre and his Uzumaki was on the forefront of his mind. He didn't want to leave the world of the living just yet. he wanted to see her grow up into a woman, a Shinobi and wanted to see her fulfil her dreams of becoming Hokage. She had become much to precious to him and they had only spent three years together, it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to always be there for her. He had been fourteen then and her ten turning eleven. And that had been when his crush on Naruto had started.

It was as though he had become obsessed with her. She would constantly be on his mind first thing in the morning and the last thing on his mind when he went to sleep. It was as though she was his world. Him her moon and she his sun. They were constantly revolving around each other.

He had become protective over her, fretting around her like a mother hen. Came a week were he hadn't seen her. He had been an anxious whirlwind, asking if anyone had seen her. No one had and it had reminded him of the first time he met her and couldn't find her until a year later. He hoped it wasn't history repeating itself. He couldn't lose his little maelstrom sunshine. Not yet and not ever.

He had waited for in her apartment and she had finally arrived in the early morning. She had launched herself into his arms telling him about everything. How Danzo had told her about the Kyuubi, not that she knew that was his name. She had told him about her confrontation with the Third Hokage and her eventful meeting with an Uzumaki.

That had made him suspicious but she had erased his worries and fears when she had told him that he was Jiraiya-sama's apprentice and he couldn't help but be happy that she had found a living biologically family, ignoring the rush of jealousy that had surged through him but he had pushed it aside. He knew she wouldn't discard him away so easily and he wouldn't let. He was already possessive of her.

The months flew by after when he had realised that he did not simply have a crush on uzumaki Naruto, he was falling her and that realisation surprisingly hadn't scared him. It was only the fact that she as still considered a child that he knew he couldn't act on his feelings, only flirting with her, teasing her and he knew damn well that she returned his feelings with the way she reacted to him, blushing and stuttering around him. Becoming an incoherent mess and turning shy, a complete 360 from her usual boisterous self.

It was on her graduation day that he had decided to act on his feelings knowing damn well she would graduate and would be considered an adult and he damn well would ask her on a date when she passed. He would not let the oppurutunity to snag her first as his let by and let some other bumbling fool of a shinobi take his Naruto's attention away from him. He'd be a fucking fool to do that. She was his even if she did not know it as of now, he'd make sure to remind her everyday. And he did not care that he sounded obsessed and borderline possessive. Uchiha's were known to love as deeply as they hated, and that was his excuse.

And when he had cornered her between the wall and his body and kissed her, he had been elated when she had replied in a very enthusiastic way, boasting his ego. And when she had left his arms after their little activity he couldn't help but think he was royally screwed.

 _"_ Fuck. I'm really in love with Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

_"Fuck. I'm in love with Uzumaki Naruto."_

"Ma you shouldn't say such things out loud Uchiha-san, it can cause quite the scandal."

Shisui choked on his own spit as he whirled around, his face twisting into a sneer briefly before returning to its blank mask as he stared at the man in front of him with a bored and nonchalant look.

"Hatake-san, what do I owe the pleasure of your presence in my apartment." His voice cold and indifferent as though he hadn't just confessed his love mere seconds ago as the silver haired man raised a lone eyebrow.

"Your apartment? Ma I thought lies were beneath the mighty Uchiha Clan." Shisui clucked his teeth, wondering why he had even bothered to reply to the man let alone stay in the company of the man who had cost him his brothers life.

Whilst most of the Uchiha Clan disliked Hatake Kakashi because of the lone borrowed Sharingan eye given to him, Shisui down right detested the man. He blamed Uchiha Obito's death on Kakashi, because if he hadn't been such an ignorant bratty kid who had a penchant for following the rules, his brother wouldn't have met his demise early, which had led to his mother drowning in guilt and depression, leading her to commit suicide, leaving Shisui to fend for himself at the tender age of nine, but he had adapted as any Ninja would have.

All in all, he blamed Hatake Kakashi for the deaths of both his brother and mother, regardless of how indirect it was. There were times were he had wanted torture Hatake into the brink of oblivion, and make him an incoherent blabbering mess. He wanted to destroy Hatake Kakashi's existence, leaving no trail of him ever being born. And at times he wishes it had been Hatake who died instead of Obito. Truly, the silver haired man deserved endless amount of pain but there was that silver thread of fate that connected them. The one that made Shisui feel for the man who's three years his senior was the bitter revelation that they had both lost their last remaining family to the bitter melodic wails of suicide.

And that in itself had grounded Shisui to not extract revenge, because in his own way, Hatake Kakashi was suffering, maybe more so than he, but nevertheless Hatake was someone he was hell intent on avoiding. And whilst he may have wanted to extract bitter revenge for his deceased brother, it would have done him no good, killing a comrade of his for the sake of sweet revenge, he simply wouldn't be better than the man who was currently staring at him with one eye. More so, it wasn't as though taking Hatake's life would bring his brother or mother back. It would have been a pointless endeavour. And that had played a role in him succumbing to the seduction of vengeance.

It would make him no more than a coward, bitter man who decided taking revenge on a comrade was a brilliant idea, more so when they were both top jonins in their village, so he had simply decided to ignore the man, but yet had indulged in the mans presence and worthless question and that grated on Shisui's nerves, wondering why he had bothered with a reply. He would usually leave as soon as they both spotted each other.

He didn't bother with a reply, simply saluting the man and leaving in a swirl of smoke.

* * *

Despite the rumours that circulated around him, Hatake Kakashi was the opposite of everything that was said about him. Many would say he was a cold hearted bastard with no inclination of considering others opinion. Maybe once upon a time that may have been the case and rang true, but in the present reality, he would beg to differ.

_He had changed._

Experiencing the death of a loved one changed him. War had changed it. And with time he had also changed.

No one truly stayed the same throughout their entire life. There was bound to be a significant factor that would change one completely. And whether the change would produce a positive or negative outcome truly depended on the individual themselves and how traumatic the experience had been.

_Hatake Kakashi was an example of this._

Loss was the only continuous steady presence in his life. The only true thing he understood right after pain, guilt and grief, for those emotions came in a package.

_He had lost his mother sometime after his birth._

His father followed through. Hatake Sakumo, _"Suicide "they whisper._ Came his ignorance which lost him a comrade. Uchiha Obito, the _infamous 'Black sheep of the Uchiha clan.'_ Followed by another comrade which he killed with his two hands. Nohara Rin. The medic-nin fangirl, killed by her comrade. _Hatake Kakashi, the friend killer._

And the breaking point had been the one man who had been a constant presence in his fragile life. The one man whom he had _thought death wouldn't touch upon._ But yet again he had been wrong. Namikaze Minato. Had slipped into deaths grasp and to never be seen again.

Each and every one he had lost had taught him a lesson, and he had picked and chose what aspects to keep of those people who had once impacted his life. They had created the person who he was today.

_But despite that, he wasn't truly a changed man. No, not fully._

He sucked at keeping his promises. Well he had only made two promises within his pitiful excuse of a life, and both had been broken. _The first promise had been to one Uchiha Obito to protect Rin, t_ hat had failed epically, and it haunted it day and night, her lifeless body as he ran the chidori right through her chest was engraved into his minds eye, his sharingan had captured the moment, tormenting him in the confines of his own mind, and in some twisted morbid way, the nightmares that surrounded both Obito and Rin comforted him to never make the same mistakes again.

 _The second promise had been to his Sensei, Namikaze Minato._ But he hadn't followed through with it. Guilt, sorrow and loneliness had festered into the depths of his heart and mind, clouding his judgement as his threw himself into the danger of being an ANBU, endangering his life as though it wasn't worth it, and in some ways, Kakashi truly believed it wasn't.

He was still in some ways a dead man walking. He held no value for his life and his presence around those he treasured tended to suffer whilst he came out scratch free. So he saw himself as the embodiment of a walking disaster, leaving death, sorrow and pain in his shadow.

And those ideologies, those theories he had, that he believed about himself and lead him to breaking his second promise.

He had promised to look after his Sensei's last living family. His Sensei's daughter, but like the coward he had always been, he had turned tails after his very first visit to the orphanage, unable to bear the sight of a baby who seemed to suffer a fate worse than death. He knew of her status, what her life would be. Yet he had done nothing, simply asking the Hokage for a monthly report.

And during her thirteen years, he had never bothered to truly visit and introduce himself, simply following her around at a sedate pace. As she grew, she took more after her mother physically, with hints of her father. But it was her intelligence , her too wise words , too bitter experiences, the she sounded too old when she spoke on subjects of pain and forgiving, how she sounded so naive but realistic at the same time was what reminded him of his late sensei. And maybe in some way it was his PTSD doing the thinking, trying to connect any small hints that represented in the girl that showed parts of his late sensei so he could salvage what little remaining family he had. And maybe with time, he would be able to see Uzumaki Naruto as Uzumaki Naruto and not just a connection to his late sensei. And as the years passed, he had come o see her as just Naruto, sure some of her parents persona had shown through at time, but those were few and far between and Kakashi could approve of the person she was becoming.

He had simply watched her grow from afar, watched her befriend Uchiha Shisui, Itachi and Sasuke. He hadn't liked it at first, but then what right had he to decide who she could keep company with. He was no more than a stranger to her than the next person. But with having lost everyone he held dear to him, he wanted that connection to the last remains of his sensei. He was allowed to be selfish for once wasn't he?

 _Your selfishness has costed you a teammate._ And then there were those unwelcome thoughts, always intruding in his somewhat happy thoughts, always pointing out his flaws, but he had no need to acknowledge something he had already come to terms with. And if Hatake Kakashi could acknowledge his flaws, then he was more than fit to be a little selfish and indulge himself in his small wishful thinkings, and he had done that. He believed himself a changed man, so he had quit ANBU, signing himself up as a Jonin sensei and demanding the Hokage to let him train his late Sensei's daughter. The old man had agreed.

So on the day of her graduation day, he had decided to introduce himself to the girl, but as he came to her window, he wished he could turn back time just a couple years, because he wondered were he had gone wrong. Because right in front of him was Uchiha Shisui kissing his soon to be genin, and what shocked him more was she was replying with as much as much vigour and enthusiasm at the kiss.

And he wondered if Jiriaya was here, would he stopped his goddaughter from being devoured or would he have just used her for research, and truly, with Jiriaya's perverted tendencies, he would probably encourage it and he couldn't help but think back to the day when the Toad Sannin had spied on his sensei and his wife's honeymoon and had been bested a bloody mess. Kakashi was sure history would repeat itself in the form of Uchiha Shisui and Uzumaki Naruto.

And just as he prepared himself to interrupt their time, Shisui had pulled back, Naruto leaned in for a quick kiss before leaving in a blur of blue and orange.

And whilst he watched her leave, it was just simply him and the Uchiha and has much as he wanted to tease the said boy after his little confession, their history was less than stellar. And whilst he could understand the boy's pain, Kakashi believed he didn't deserve the all the hate directed towards him. Sure he understood that Uchiha Shisui had lost his brother due to his ignorance and love for the rules, but he knew that the boy also blamed him for his mother's death. And in some ways he understood, Obito's death was the catalyst for his mother's death and with Obito's death being in his hands, he had indirectly lead his mother to committing suicide, robbing the boy of his last two remaining families.

But he knew that they would both have to patch things up between them if they both wanted to be in Naruto's life and he would hate to make the girl chose between them, not that it would truly be a choice for she was attached to the Uchiha boy's hip like a magnet. But he wanted to now take an active part in his life.

He knew this would be easier said than done as he saw the boy leave without answering his question. It truly was too troublesome, but he'd just try again.

* * *

She had kissed Uchiha Shisui, and she had enjoyed it. She hadn't expected for him to kiss her, nor did she expect herself to be so responsive towards him. He was a damn good kisser and she wanted to to do it all over again.

But she feared it was a one time thing, she sincerely hoped it wasn't because if this kiss was any indication that he may return her feelings, she would grab onto it.

And that thought in itself kept her going through your the day. She had passed her graduation test, much to the disappointment of Mizuki and she wondered why he had wanted her to fail, not that it bothered her much, she couldn't care for those who wanted to stop her progress.

The hour passed with the students who had graduated and finally teams would be called out.

"Team seven will consist of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Your jonin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Really? She didn't know whether to be elated or to sulk.

Sakura? That girl still hated her for supposedly stealing her 'Sasuke-kun.' Naruto wondered if they would even make a good team with the Sakura. The girl was simply delusional and Naruto wouldn't truly mind befriending the girl if she got over her fangirl tendency and took her role as a Shinobi seriously.

She felt Sasuke drag her close to him as Sakura bounded up to him, coming into his personal space and squealing. Naruto scrunched her nose at that, really her team was doomed and she could only hope a miracle could happen to bless her team.

And as the time ticked by and other teams teachers come to collect them, team seven sat it in silence and irritation as their sensei decided to take his sweet team.

"We're really getting an unreliable jonin as our sensei aren't we ttebayo." Naruto grumbled out, her fingers drumming against the table as Sasuke just 'hn'ed'.

"Ma, already forming opinions of your sensei now." The trio spun their heads towards the window were a silver haired jonin crouched on, and orange book in his hand which Naruto could vaguely remember Shisui having and hiding it from her.

"Yeah 'cuz what reliable teacher would be two hours late, ya not making a good first impression neh."

"Ah but it's not my fault that I got lost on the road of life now is it." The three fresh genins simply stared at their teacher who simply sighed before entering the classroom and making himself comfortable on the tables.

"Introduction are in order. We'll start with you pinky."

Sakura had done more squealing that introducing herself, causing her other two teammates and sensei to cringe and ignore the rest of the girls babbling.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, my likes and dislikes are few and far between. My dream is to surpass both my brother and cousin and have a family of my own." His eyes darting to Naruto as he said that and Kakashi couldn't wait for the drama that would inevitably wait for those two and a certain other Uchiha.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My dream is to look for any other living Uzumaki's, become Hokage and hopefully achieve world peace." And Kakashi felt the the pang of guilt hit him like train wreck. No child should be thinking of war and peace at this age, but he knew her childhood had something to do with it. And if he had been a man, he could have sheltered her from the abuse and pain and let her experience the wonders of childhood, but he was thirteens years to late. It would do him no good to wallow in self pity and guilt. He had thirteen years of making up to do.

He just hoped it would be an easy ride but with having an Uzumaki, an Uchiha and a fangirl, it would the furthest thing from being easy.


	5. The end of the beginning

Whilst Naruto wasn't one to quickly dislike people, her new sensei Hatake Kakashi was one of the few people she had taken to disliking rather quickly. He truly brang the ugly side out of her. He was a complete utter joke. She genuinely questioned the Sandaime Hokage's decision to make someone such as Hatake a jonin sensei. He was incompetent and didn't seem to care about anything except for that book he carried everywhere, his nose stuck in the pages, his attention towards a flimsy book and not his students.

She had thought him being late on their graduation day was a one time thing, but he had proven her wrong time and time again. He was consistently late to all their training days as well as their d-ranks, and didn't really teach them much except chakra control which her and Sasuke already knew and Sakura was able to finish the exercises in little time due to her small capacity of chakra, so she hadn't understood the point of it, but now, he had no reason to teach them that for they had already become proficient in controlling their chakra.

He sent them on a constant stream of d-ranks, his excuse being their teamwork needed polishing and whilst that had been true in the earlier stages of the new team seven, the trio had come to learn to work together.

But yet he still didn't think them capable of learning any new ninjutsu or helping them to improve their tai and gen jutsu, because frankly Sakura sucked at tai-justu and she herself whilst adequate at sensing gen-jutsu was horrible at breaking out of them, something she knew would take a lot of work on her part but yet her new teacher was dismissing them and their opinions. It was plain annoying and not to mention rude.

"And maybe if he actually trained us, he wouldn't need to say we aren't ready for a c-ranks ttebane." She huffed as Shisui pretended to listen, bobbing his head randomly here and there.

"He's really the most unreliable sensei I've ever met. He's definitely a fraud ya know 'cuz no way a sensei would leave the students under trained." She prattled on and as much as Shisui loved to hear his Uzumaki chatter and harp about everything and anything he really didn't like her talking about Hatake, even if it was in a bad light.

And instead of continuing to listen to her, he tugged her into his lap, capturing her lips in his, cutting her sentence of as he coaxed her mouth open, plunging his tongue into her mouth.

This was how he would rather spend his free time with her instead of hearing her harp about the dunderhead of a jonin she called her sensei.

"This really is an excellent way to keep you quiet huh." He said and before she could say anything, he pulled her into another kiss, enjoying how she pressed against him further and tried to take control over the kiss. _How cute she thinks she can dominate me_.

"Ya know Shisui, when I'm ranting to you, ya supposed to listen, not kiss me ttebayo." She whined out as he let go of her delectable lips, a strand of saliva connecting between their mouths.

"At least I found a new way to shut you up that doesn't involve ramen." He mumbled out, swallowing her shout of disagreement as he drew her in for another kiss, ravaging her mouth.

He really enjoyed listening to her moan his name, it was music to his ears.

* * *

Her patience for Kakashi was wearing thin and despite him having finally started training them,(she'd have to thank Itachi for that who had actually listened to her rants about her sensei and had surprisingly done something about it unlike that pervert Uchiha of hers) he had refused them to take on some c-ranks.

Naruto was pretty sure her team could handle a simple escort mission and if Kakashi was as capable as he made himself out to be, then he shouldn't be worrying so much.

After some nagging and pranking which involved his beloved orange book, he finally concurred with them much to Iruka Sensei's chagrin.

* * *

When their sensei finally let them take a c-rank, she had already regretted it because as soon as their client came in, the stench of alcohol clung to him like an old friend, and then said client had the audacity started belittling her and her team, going off on a tangent how he hired ninjas and not children. They were no longer considered children as soon as they had become genie. Were all clients this stuck up with their holier than tho attitude? Naruto certainly hoped not because she was damn sure she would accidentally end up killing them.

"You have an hour to pack for two weeks, we'll meet at the main gates at noon." She distantly heard Kakashi say. She refused to call him Sensei until he taught them something worthwhile of their time.

She ran to her apartment when she realised that she would finally be leaving Konoha and travelling to the border of the Land of fire and she was excited. She would finally be seeing some place other than the walls of Konoha and she hoped the Land of Wave was a beautiful place.

In her excitement she hadn't noticed noticed Shisui leaning against the wall as she sealed everything and throwing them in her bag and just as she was about to leave she was stopped in her her tracks;

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

"Not my fault that your an easy person to forget." She grumpily replied, giving him a hug as an apology.

"You wound me Princess. You shouldn't say such things to your Prince less you want to drown in his poetic woes of one sided love about his Princess."

She snorted, Shisui really was an odd one and as much as she loved to hear his flares for dramatics in his speech she had a mission to leave for.

"Ya can tell me about it after my Mission. I'll be gone a for a week or two, so don't do anything stupid ya perverted Uchiha and stay safe 'Kay."

He simply nodded pulling something out of his pocket, pulling one of her arms towards him and she saw him slip on a silver bracelet with a crow wrapped around the Uchiha crest. It was beautiful but she wondered why he was giving her that for.

"It's a late graduation present. Stay safe and come back to me alive and breathing yeah Naruto."

She smiled at him, giving him a bone crushing hug and kiss, ruffling his hair. "Of course I will ttebane, who'd ya take me for."

Shisui simply huffed before pulling in her for a lengthy kiss because Kami knows how long he would be deprived of his Uzumaki.

* * *

Naruto hadn't expected the C-rank to turn quickly into a B-rank because their client had lied to them, and they had only found out after they had fought with the demon twins who were after the bridge builder.

And when he revealed the whole information they still decided to help him for it was the right thing to do but with them trying to play hero, it had turned into an A-rank mission, coming across The Demon of the Mist Zabuza had ensured that as well as costing them with a chakra exhausted sensei.

Now they were in Tazuna's house and Uzumaki Naruto was not impressed and neither was Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura was busy blaming Naruto because she had been the only one vocal on her desire to get a C rank. Honestly this girl seemed to take the life of a Shinobi as a free trail. She really needed to get a priorities straight and woman up because either way, she choosing to become a Shinobi ensured that she would be put in positions and situations like this.

"Sakura, blaming the Naruto for Hatake's condition makes you look like a fool, be quiet, your annoying."

At least her Teme was able to put Sakura in her place, and no matter how rude he was to her, Sakura always seemed to do as Sasuke told her. Life of a fangirl didn't sound so appealing.

* * *

He didn't know what propelled his body forward to take the hit that was clearly meant for his dobe, protecting her from the series of Senbon thrown by the enemy but he knew he didn't regret what he done, despite his body moving without his permission. If it meant protecting her then he would do it a thousand more times over. _She was his to protectnot that she knewthat._

"Bastard, why did you do that for." He could hear the shakiness in her voice as he collapsed onto her, the blue of her eyes the last thing he saw. And he couldn't help but be somewhat happy that it was her face that he would last see if this was his end. Because let it not be known that Uchiha Sasuke had a one sided crush on Uzumaki Naruto, the only girl who could fight him without holding back, the only girl who didn't care that he was an Uchiha, the only one who wasn't a fangirl. After Shisui had introduced them, he found himself falling for the girl, but when he had caught the Uchiha courting bracelet on her wrist, he knew his chances with her were rather slim, but he'd be an idiot to not try and woe her because damn Uchiha Shisui, for taking the one person who he thought would be his and he would try his damn hardest to make her his for she and Shisui hadn't made it final that they were together nor that Shisui was courting her.

"Hn." And instead of confessing it seemed that even in death it would seem as though that was the only response that he could utter. How Uchiha of him.

He didn't know how long it was but his eyes opened and he realised he was still in the same position before his apparent death though there was no Ice dome and no enemy in sight and that he actually hadn't died.

"Your not going to die on me again are you bastard." A watery voice broke through his musing.

"You know you also activated your Sharingan, you should thank me for that hn." He didn't know if she was being serious or trying to attempt to crack a joke so he just "hn." She laughed at that before helping him.

"Haku, that was his name, he died and so did Zabuza san, Gato betrayed them and Zabuza and Kakashi stopped him, I'm glad your awake bastard, Sakura was worried bout you as well ya know ttebayo."

"Don't ever die on me again teme, who else is going to be my rival and pull my pigtails huh, so you can't die till I die okay and I won't be dying till I become Hokage and that's a promise of a lifetime and don't forget ya gotta surpass Tachi and Shisui 'kay."

Yes he wouldn't mind not dying until she died because if he knew one thing about Uzumaki Naruto was that she kept her promises. So yes, just this once he would listen to her and it wasn't because he had a crush on her , or maybe it was, he didn't know, he just knew that he was currently running on adrenaline and that he was very glad he didn't die and was thankful for gaining his sharingan.

He was a step closer to finally catching up with his brother and cousin.

* * *

Training with Kakashi sensei had become brutal due to the Chunin exams coming up but she enjoyed it. He had finally started training them like proper Shinobi's after their first c-rank turned a-rank mission and she was glad that the danger that had fallen upon them had most certainly woken their sensei up.

He had introduced Sakura to Iryō Ninjustu with her excellent chakra control and had taken to teaching Sasuke some of his own justsu's he had created. And he had introduced her to someone named Genma who had worked with with the fourth Hokage to help teach her some of the mans justsu due to her speciality in dealing. She had become a bubble of excitement knowing that the she would be learning her hero's infamous jutsu's even if the man had subjected her to the life of a Jinchuriki, she understood why it had to be done.

She had been so caught up on trying to tweak the fourths flying thunder technique that she hadn't realised that she was about to be late for the Chunin exams. Kami-sama Sakura and Sasuke would kill her if she lost them the chance to compete in the exams.

Having finally arrived to where her team was, Naruto opened her mouth to apologise but Sakura's deafening voice beat her to it.

"Naruto-baka, you nearly ruined Sasuke-kun's chance at becoming a chunin." Ahh always thinking about Sasuke. Sakura still had some growing up to do.

"Well it's not my fault I got lost on the road to life." She sniggered at her excuse. Guess Kakashi Sensei's excuses were good enough for her to use. "Anyways let's go kick ass ttebayo, I'm so beating the teme's ass!"

* * *

This was torture; first they give her a written exam which was something she wasn't good at thanks to her dyslexia, not that it stopped her from trying mind you. And then the proctored had given her a severe case of panic attack because he dared tell her if she got the answers wrong she'd never make it past genin and that would mean she couldn't become Hokage. And then she had told him that she'd become the first genin Hokage and he had passed them. Her team had passed the first stage and now they were entering a slaughter house with only a scroll.

She was to busy thinking about what her and her team would be eating that she hadn't realised that her team were under attack.

"Naruto watch out." She was able to move out of the way as a kunai flew past her face, nicking her cheek in the process.

She saw Sasuke engaged in a fight against a creepy looking women whose speech came out in sibilant hisses.

From the corner of her eye she saw a snake about to lunge at Sakura.

"Sakura behind you." She reached in time to push Sakura away from the snake but it had seemed that she had become its lunch as it swallowed her whole. How was she supposed to escape from inside of it.

She didn't know how long it took her until she had the idea of using the Kage Bunshin to help her explode the snake from inside out.

She was in time to see the creepy lady about to bite Sasuke as he tried to give her their scroll. She jumped in between them, using a Kage Bunshin to help propel her upwards and kicking the women away.

"Sasuke teme don't you dare give our scroll away. The Sasuke I know wouldn't do that."

"Usurotonkachi, we give him our scroll and he lets us go. It's for the best."

"You're an idiot, do you really expect him to let us go after we give him our scroll. Stop being a scaredy cat teme."

"Kuku, you defeated my snake then, maybe you'll give me a good fight like Sasuke-kun as well."

"I so did ttebayo, what do you even want with us anyway." He didn't answer her but had moved to attack them.

The longer they fought, the angrier she had gotten. This bastard wanted to take her Uchiha bastard and had hurt Sakura simply because she had been in her way. She hadn't realised that the Kyuubi's chakra had started leaking out, nor the fear in Sakura's eyes or the way the disguised sanin was eyeing her as new experiment .

She didn't know what happened next as she engaged the enemy in a one on one fight. She remembers being tossed towards a tree, hot searing pain racing through her body and the enemy lunging towards Sasuke and Sakura running towards her.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, she had to blink a few times to see her surroundings. It looked as though she was in a sewer. What was she doing in a sewer, wasn't she supposed to be in the Forest with Sakura and Sasuke. With a groan she heaved herself up and followed the pipe lines towards a large cage, the soft dripping of water the only noise being heard.

As she came to a stop in front of the cage, two giant paws came forth and a furry orange snout, followed by the rest of its face and body, 9 tails swishing majestically behind it.

"You don't look like a monster ttebayo!"

"Damn you Uzumaki's and your verbal ticks."

"You're really a grumpy furball ain't ya. Ya don't seem to bad but why did you attack Konoha. You don't seem to be like a bad guy ttebane."

The Kyuubi lifted a paw up, revealing an eye, regarding her with a contemplative look as though to asses if she was worthy enough to demand answers from him. She held its steady gaze, not breaking eye contact and daringly moved closer to the fox who made no attempt to harm as of yet.

"You would do well to ask your Uchiha about their blasted eye and if they provide you with an answer I deem good I shall answer your question you damned Uzumaki." He said, forcibly pushing her back into the real world.

As Naruto woke up, Sakura told her about how the person they had been fighting was Orochimaru and he left some sort of curse mark on Sasuke which seemed to give him an immense boost of power despite the agonising pain it bought during the process.

Whilst she was knocked out Sakura and Sasuke were able to gain an Earth scroll which helped them pass onto the the final phase of the exams. They had also told Kakashi about Sasuke's curse, the former taking Sasuke away to help deal with it after he won his fight against an Iwa nin.

Sakura lost her fight against Ino, which was to be expected as neither were very skilled and had spent most of their academy days focusing on their looks, but Sakura had improved somewhat after the run in with Orochimaru as she had caught a glimpse of what it really was to become a shinobi.

Naruto won against Kiba, the bloody mutt who always underestimated her because she was a girl and Naruto was proud to say that she enjoyed beating the shit out of him. That's what he deserved for thinking less about girls.

They now had a month to prepare for the final round and she was paired against Hyuuga Neji. He always seemed like he had a pole shoved up his arse with the way he was always ranting about fate and putting Hinata down. What a teme.

She was currently walking towards her favourite hiding spot, behind the hot springs and she saw it was occupied. By a long white haired man who was sitting atop a frog who was snacking on sweets ? Or was it a toad? Same difference regardless. Damn perverts.

"Hey Ero-jisan, I don't think they'd be happy to know a pervert is peeping on them." She whispered in his ear.

Said pervert spun his head quickly, his low ponytail flying as he eyes settled on the red haired in front of him wearing an atrocious orange jumpsuit.

Kushina. Was the first thing that came into his head. But he knew that wasn't his late student wife, this was his goddaughter and she had caught him peeping and called him an old man as well as a pervert. He was a super pervert and he was quick to correct her on that.

"I'm not a pervert." She gave him an incredulous look. "I'm a super pervert." He finished of proudly.

"Yes I can see that, is that a frog by the way." A frog, what blasphemy.

"This is one of my summons, and it's a toad gaki, get it right. Shoo now, I need to finish my research." She snorted at that. Did he really consider being a pervert as researching.

"What's your name anyways, I've never seen you around before." Now it was his turn to look incredulous. His own goddaughter didn't know who he was.

He gave a cough, before standing on top of his toad and doing a little dance as he introduced himself. "I am Jiraiya, the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku and one of the three Sannins!"

She broke out into a laugh, her eyes shining with happiness and amusement before speaking.

"Your Jiriaya. Nagato told me all about you. Is he here with you? I haven't seen him in like three or fours years ttebane. Does that also mean that your going to take me as your apprentice and teach me everything like you did with Nagato and." And Jiriaya could only stare as his goddaughter spoke without taking a breath, her questions seemingly endless. And thank Tsunade's bust that Nagato painted him in a good light. His goddaughter seemed to be enamoured with him.

"What do you say about asking and answering your questions over a bowl of ramen." And that had seemed to throw her on another wave of questions as she bounced by his side, unaware of of the way the villagers parted for them, never seeing their Jinchuriki brimming with pure and utter happiness. It would truly be a sight to remember.

* * *

The month passed and Jiriaya had helped her with the fourths Flying Raijin, she hadn't fully gotten it down but it was an improvement. He had also let her sign the Toad contract in were she spotted the fourths name, meaning he had taught the forth Hokage and that had excited her because if this man had made one his students a Hokage already, he could damn we'll help her achieve her goal as well.

He had also made a promise that he would take her as his apprentice after the chunin exams and take her to Ame where Nagato was currently at. Truly she couldn't wait to reunite with him.

The month came to an end and the final stage of the chunin exam came upon them. The arena was filled with civilians and Shinobi's alike, the atmosphere tense and filled with underlying tension which didn't sit well with her. She felt as though a storm was brewing would come crushing down upon them in a quick manner.

She spotted Itachi and Shisui near the Hokage, both in their ANBU clothes.

She was the first to be called up, pitted against Hyuuga Neji. She won in her match against Neji by using her Kage bunshin and the Rasengan which Ero-sennin had also taught her, despite the justsu not being fully finished.

Two more matches were finished rather quickly then came an ambush during Gaara and Sasuke's match by the Sound and Sand village which had led her to fighting against Gaara who was a Jinchuriki like her. And she realised he had it infinite more worse than her and she wondered if her parents were alive if that they would also try to end her life but with the stories about her mother as well as her being a Jinchuriki herself, she knew she wouldn't have been treated like her fellow Jinchuriki, but if she had been, would she have turned out like Gaara but she doubted that because he didn't have precious people she did and they had grounded her. She wished all the best luck to Gaara and promised him to be his first friend. He deserved to be treated like a hero for he one and she hoped her fellow Jinchuriki's didn't live a broken and bitter life. They were all human at the end of the day and deserved to be treated as such.

She saw Kakashi Sensei carrying Sakura and Sasuke limping behind him as they came towards her followed by two Suna nins who were conveniently Gaara's Sibling.

As the quadruple walked back, they saw a number of ANBU's heading towards the rooftop of the Hokage's building, where their was a dome like barrier surronding Jiji and Orochimaru. she couldn't see much but she had a bad feeling about this. It was thirty minutes later and the dome fell away, ANBU's rushing in.

It took another thirty minute for the word to spread around.

The Sandaime Hokage had died.

And Naruto lost her first precious person.


	6. Adventure and the calling of home

He had never seen such pain in her glassy cerulean eyes, the fat tears rolling down her scarred cheeks as her legs surrendered to her weight. Her tiny hands scrunching the materials of her orange pants, shaking her head, pigtails lashing at her face. "No, he wasn't supposed to leave me as well."

It pained him to see her in a such a state. She kept muttering words of denial as the tears continued to flow. Just like before, he hadn't realised his body moving towards the girl, tugging her up and pulling her into his chest, her tears soaking through his shirt as her shoulders shook.

He didn't know how long they stood there, in each other's embrace. His legs feeling numb but he ignored it in favour of holding the girl tighter. It was around hours later when he saw his cousin Shisui coming towards them, taking one good look at them before taking Naruto from him and carrying her bridle style. He saw her arms circle around his neck before muttering his name.

A surge of irritation and jealousy flashed through him as he saw her snuggle into Shisui's chest. He scowled knowing that he couldn't let his cousin win Naruto's heart. _She was supposed to be his._

"Come now Sasuke, let's go home."

* * *

The days leading up to the late Sandaime's funeral, Naruto had sort comfort in her trio of Uchiha's, mostly clinging to Shisui who seemed to enjoy having his Uzumaki in his arms, much to Sasuke's dismay, who had taken to glaring at his cousin who seemed to enjoy his jealousy, always making sure to see Naruto in his arms and at times making sure he saw them make out.

When the day of the funeral came by, Naruto didn't stand next to her three Uchiha's but had stood crying next to Sarutobi Asuma and Iruka, little Konohamaru in her arms, her tears mixing with the rain. Shisui hated seeing her so lost and broken and wanted nothing more than to hide her away from the world and chain her to him but he knew she wouldn't appreciate being treated like a fragile porcelain vase.

The funeral was solemn affair. Konoha was in a state a constant worry as they no longer had a Hokage to lead them. Itachi had informed her and Sasuke that Ero-Sennin had been offered the title but he had refused it and claiming he would go get the Sandaime's wayward student to replace him.

* * *

His stability had been rocked to its core, setting out the foundation of his childhood as the cracks wove thin and deep into his very heart, and then shattering what was left of his soul as it ripped itself apart as a way of coping with all the loss that bombarded him like an adolescent going through all stages of puberty at once, and later salvaging what's left of his broken shards he now calls his personality.

Looking at Naruto it reminds Kakashi of how truly broken he is. He's an emotionally stunted man and in some ways he can say he's a man stuck in the body of a child. As a child he may have developed physically and mentally but his emotional development left nothing to be desired off. He had experienced more emotions as a child compared to him as an adult, he had been overwhelmed by all these intense and overpowering emotions, he had gone into turmoil, shutting them off for it had been too much for him to handle, age 14 and he had experienced more negative emotions than positive. It had left him hallow and broken, a shadow of himself, his emotional stability fading into dust as the years passed by.

But as Kakashi truly examined Naruto, he realises he had never truly seen her so broken. It was as though the sun had died out, caught without a tether, flickering in its last breath to bathe the world in its warmth before darkness enclosed upon them. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her and he had tried but he was a broken and emotionally stunted man who suffered from PTSD. Kakashi felt as though if he were to near her, she would flicker from his grasp, moving with wind as one and only leaving her scent behind.

He couldn't give her comfort because comfort was not something he could provide for Naruto for that was something he had never experienced. Hatake Kakashi was many things, but he was not confidant. And as much it pained him to see Naruto so broken and so quiet he knew he wouldn't be able to offer her the stability nor comfort she needed for he had neither in his life. She already had her Uchiha's and Jiriaya and for now, they would be enough for her, and just like those years before, he would simply watch her from afar and keep her safe from a distance. _After all that was the only thing he was good at._

* * *

With the way Nagato had portrayed his Goddaughter, Jiriaya couldn't help love her more as the granddaughter he had always wanted for he had always seen Minato as his son, he had practically raised the boy.

Minato's death had hurt him deeply for he had lost the one person he had truly seen as his own, but instead of swallowing in guilt he had decided to put his Goddaughter to the forefront of his mind, coming up with ways he could protect her as well as trying to be there for her.

The first few years pass by and he's in Konoha, his former sensei Sarutobi giving him monthly updates on his goddaughter and he doesn't like what he hears. He had wanted to whisk her away from the village that spat on his late students wishes but his mentor had denied him from visiting his goddaughter. He hadn't been pleased.

Jiriaya knew the life of a Jinchuriki was bitter and hard but he couldn't help feel a small resentment towards his sensei and the village. Humans were so fickle and small minded, never thinking for themselves, conforming to others beliefs and ideologies. They were simply sheeps in human skin and he wonders if Naruto was raised in Kumo if her childhood would the same as it was in Konoha but he knows it wouldn't be for Kumo always treated their Jinchuriki's as their _own_. _As humansand not demons incarnate_.

And as much as he wanted to kidnap his goddaughter and rebel against his old mentors orders, he does the next best thing he can do

He seeks out Uzumaki Nagato, one of his most prized pupil. They had caught up and he had told him about his Goddaughter who was also part Uzumaki. He ranted to Nagato at how he wanted for her to know at least one of her family members and that had been the reason he had sort him out and Nagato had indulged him in his wishes for his goddaughter.

Nagato returns and tells him there's hope for her, that she isn't as bitter and broken as Nagato had once been and with the right support, she could grow into a formidable Shinobi.

And there's a small part of Jiriaya that's scared. He knows his goddaughter is the child prophecy and there are times were he wishes it was Nagato because he would be able to carry the burden whilst she was simply a mere babe. She would be fighting a battle that had started long before her birth, a battle that was never hers to begin with, but the stars had dragged her name into it, prophecising her to either be the destruction or salvation of the Shinobi world. And he wants to do nothing more than hide her from the face of the world, even if he had never known her personally. The unconditional love of a family is one that consumes your whole being, makes you think irrationally, clouds your judgement but all is in the best interests of your family. And that is what Uzumaki Naruto is to Jiriaya. _Family!_

So to see her crying and mourning the loss of the one man she saw as her grandfather, he hardens his resolve to cheer her up. He thinks taking her to see Nagato may be it, but only after they bring Tsunade back for her to take the position as Godaime Hokage. It wouldn't be an easy feat for there is also the danger of a group called Akatsuki lurking in the shadows, stalking their prey and jumping at the right moment to capture them.

At first they had been a group banded together to create peace, but unfortunate events took place and leadership had changed. Their objectives and goals had changed and they sought out destruction and World domination as well as the power of all the Bijuu's combined, meaning that his goddaughter was in more danger of her leaving the village than not, but it would be a her choice, to leave or stay once he revealed this information to her.

"I'll be leaving the village to look for a teammate of mine. And if you accompany me, we can go to Ame after we bring her back."

"Who?"

"Senju Tsunade. She's been given the position of Godaime Hokage."

"And you promise to take me to Ame so I can see Nagato?"

"Promise."

It's easier than he expected it but mentions of Ame did mean Nagato and knowing the bond they had formed in that one week they spent together, he's not surprised she wants to visit him.

"We leave tomorrow noon, you have some time to pack."

* * *

"I'm leaving with Jiriaya to find Lady Tsunade. Don't know how long we'll take and then it's straight to Ame for us." She said to Shisui, already having told Itachi and Sasuke last night' saving him for last.

"Do you have to?" He grounds out, not pleased at the idea that she would be leaving the village . _Leaving him for who knows how long._

"No, but I want to." She hums out in response, ramming scrolls after scrolls in her backpack. "Oh and Ero-senin says once we go Ame, I'll be apprenticing under him for three years ttebayo. Isn't that cool."

_Yeah very cool._ He thinks, rolling his eyes. He doesn't bother with a reply, simply choosing to burn holes at her back, hating his inability to not throw out a sarcastic reply and order her to stay, and as he tries to formulate words to demand her to stay by his side, but different words than he originally planned leave his mouth.

"Don't go." It comes out more as a command than a plea and he finds himself inwardly flinching as she turns to face him, an unimpressed look on her whiskered face.

"Did you say something." It's not a question but a demand for him to repeat himself and he wants nothing more than to shake her like a rag doll until she understands that he doesn't want her a mile away from him and for her to be at his side now and forever more.

"Don't go. Stay." She scoffs, glaring at him.

"Funny Shisui. It's like ya don't want me to go and keep me trapped in this bloody village. And it's not like I'm leaving forever Ya know. I'll be back after we bring Tsunade, stay for a bit and then leave." She huffs.

"Three years without you is too many years too long Naruto. Just fucking stay here and convince Jiriaya to teach you in the walls of Konoha."

"Ya sounding like a possessive bastard. I'm going with Ero-Sennin whether you like it not ttebayo. I promise I ain't leaving you Shisui. Still yours and I'll be back before ya know it."

"Damn fucking right your mine." He muttered out and she gave him an unimpressed look and he couldn't help but let a sly grin make his way onto his face as he spun her in his arms, his lips close to her ears as he spoke in a hushed voice; "Just so you know, that bracelet I gave to you is the Uchiha courting bracelet, meaning everyone knows your mine and you can't easily escape me sunshine, even if you wanted to."

She pulled back as soon as he finished, shock clear on her face before she broke out into a laugh, her hands coming up to his hair, yanking him down to her height, her cerulean eyes alight with amusement as she spoke, "and don't you forget that your mine as well ttebayo, you possessive git", before pulling him into a kiss.

Maybe just maybe he was being an idiot and tad too possessive with his sunshine but he had every damn right to be. She had been by his side since he was eight and for her to so abruptly tell him that she would be up and packing to find the late Hokage's wayward student and then after that to be leaving on a three year trip with Jiriaya had him thinking she would be leaving him as well. But truly he knew it was his illogical side talking. _She would always be his. He had fucking ensured that and he would be an insolent fool to let her be anyone else's_.

He just had to be patient until her return and simply snog the daylights out of her until her departure.

* * *

Finding the "busty blonde beauty" also known as Lady Senju Tsunade, a hard headed, alcoholic , gambling women who was a Sannin was rather easy to find thanks to her gambling addict, which had left a series of debt collectors in her wake, who were more than eager to pinpoint her last location in hopes of capturing the woman and returning their lost money.

They had found her half drunk, half sober, at the casino in the Land of Rice, hugging and cooing at a ninja pig who seemed as though it would rather be anywhere else than being squished between the woman's bust much to Ero-Sennin's dismay who looked as though he would sell half of his limbs to replace the pig.

Whilst finding the Medic Sannin was easy, convincing her to take the mantle of Godaime Hokage was worthy of a pay of a SS rank mission. The woman was hard headed in her refusal to lead the village who had stolen those precious to her as well as firm in her belief that her returning to the village would only bring forth a series of unfortunate accidents.

It had taken to her proclaiming she would become Hokage and badly injuring Kabuto, (whom they had run into along with Orochimaru), to convince her to take up the title of Hokage, with Tsunade saying that once she got back after her travels with Jiraiya, that she would dump her into the role of Hokage as soon as she let one foot into the village.(Naruto had then realised that Tsunade was stealing her spot as the first female Hokage after said Lady had agreed.)

* * *

After parting ways with the new Hokage and her apprentice, Jiraiya and Naruto made their way to Ame. The small village was pelted down by the heavy rain, no sun in place despite it being mid afternoon. The village was dull, it's colouring not as vibrant as Konoha, only consisting of dark colours and Naruto thought it was quite dreary and depressing despite the happy and content faces of the villagers.

"The rain is Nagato's way of knowing who enters his village, judged the intent of enemies and allies alike." Jiraiya spoke, steering her down a narrow path, leading to the tallest building.

"You say it as though Nagato runs the village?"

"He overtook it's previous leader a year after meeting you, and ever since it has prospered under his reign. No longer is it the economically deprived village it used to be with it's errant leader. Nagato had won the people's love and loyalty and Ame is the way it is today because of him. He's become the leader who he always wanted to become."

She couldn't help but be impressed at her pseduo brother's work ethic. He had become a Kage of sort for this new village, and judging by Ero-Sennins words as well as the joyous smiles on the villagers, Nagato had become a fair and respectable leader and she would aim to become like him- their dreams and goals were one and the same thing. In short he had become her role model of sort and she'd live up to the expectations she had of him.

* * *

His months after having visited Naruto had rekindled the fire in him. The part in which he wanted to reign over Ame. The first place that had become his home despite the state of poverty it was in. The very first place he had met two of his precious people. He wanted to follow his dream, make it a reality and Naruto had been the catalyst for him taking the mantle of a leader. She had burned so bright, bright enough to drown out his doubts, guilt and sorrow, and bright enough to set aflame that had extinguished through the years of sorrow and grief, even if it was only a for a moment- but it had done its job.

He had regained the little childlike innocence that had left him after seeing the brutal murder of his parents. He had reverted to being the small hopeless, naive child with dreams as big as the ocean, who wanted a village of prosperity, and he had made it become a reality within a year.

The place that he had come to see as home, the place he wanted to bring glory to, the place he wanted to lead had become a wealthy, glorious village, with him as its leader. And Yahiko and Konan had also helped him achieve one of his lifelong dreams.

No longer would Ame be that small, insignificant village were war was waged between the five nations. No longer would poverty, thievery, bloodshed and mindless killing become the norm of this village. It would prosper further under his regime unlike Hanzo's, the man who had been careless in his nature to care for his people, treating them like insects, as though they were collateral damage and dispensable. He was the opposite of what a leader should have been. Unworthy.

Everything had come to fruition thanks one girls naivety and firm belief that if you put your mind to something, you can do it. It was the simple belief in your self that dictated the path you lead your life to and whether you would follow the rules of a society that had been tarnished through manipulation and errant leaders; leading to unsatisfactory ends on the two sides that existed in the accursed world they lived in. The good and the bad. It was a battle of morals.

And with becoming a leader after his first year apart from Naruto, the years passed in a rather mundane manner with the occasional interesting adventure thrown in, Nagato wondered how Naruto grew up and if she changed much from the little girl she was.

To him, she was still a child in many ways than one, but the little innocence and naivety that was left in her would soon be snatched from her grasp, forcing her to become a fully fledged adult and he wondered how she would handle it.

She may have prepared herself theoretically for the life of a Shinobi, but once in the battle field and the physical damage takes place, the mind soon follows; leading to devastating effects on one's health, and with Naruto being unpredictable, strong headed he wondered if it would develop her character further instead of breaking her like it did to many of her brothers and sisters in arms.

But it was neither here nor there for such ominous thoughts. When the time came, they (Jiriaya, her Uchiha's and himself), would help her through the emotional whirlwind she would no doubt go through, for no Shinobi was left unscathed by the telltale signs of war.

But as of now, it was the day he would be seeing her, it was their long awaited reunion after five years.

He can remember wishing, hoping and somewhat promising for them to reunite on a sunny day, but like their first ever meeting, the sky was clouded, rain pelted down on the concrete floor and the delicate, subtle aroma of fresh trees and the natural delicacy of spring was in the air. He quite liked and sincerely hoped Naruto would and promised himself that the next reunion would undoubtedly be on a sunny summers day, hopefully.

* * *

Seeing Nagato again after years of clinging to the lifelong promise that they would meet again had been relieving.

The man she had come to adore in their short time was still as charismatic, blunt honest and cynical as ever.

He had introduced her to two of his friends as Ero-Sannin went of to conduct his 'research'. And it was then Naruto had realised her lack of female figures in her life. She had been constantly surrounded by men and only had Mikito-san, but she was mostly on missions and therefore couldn't teach her the finer aspects of what being a woman meant.

So having Konan detail everything about men and woman had been embarrassing and the way the older female doated on her had overwhelmed her, but Naruto genuinely enjoyed the attention and was more than glad that Nagato had such a woman in his life that she could turn to.

* * *

The days spent with the Nagato and co had been by far the best and would be one of her memorable memories.

She had bonded with each of them, taking a direct liking to Yahiko who reminded her of her Shisui, and with his love for pranks, the two had connected in an instant much to Nagato's dismay, but he had encouraged their friendship.

But soon two weeks had passed in a blur and Jiriaya had stated it was time to get going with her training, their first trip being Uzushio, and much to her excitement, Nagato would be travelling with them to the remains of their home village.

—

The boat ride to Uzushio was serene, the air was crisper than any air she had breathed , it was cleaner and more fresh and the sea smelt of spring and sunshine. It was relaxing.

And deep within her, she could feel a calling within a her core, beckoning her behind the tides that held the remains of her homeland that had been destroyed long before her birth.

"You can feel it can't you." Nagato asked, his face relaxed, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah. It's like a calling. It feels as though I have the sun within me, cocooning me in its warmth. It's..."

"..as though your blood is singing. It happens to every Uzumaki. It's the calling of a clan. The acceptance to pass into their land." He supplies. And Naruto feels undoubtedly happy at that.

And as the trio step of the boat and on-to the mainland, Naruto could feel the prickling of tears as the immense chakra circled around them as soon as their feet touched upon the soil infused with Uzumaki Chakra that led to gates of Uzushio.

She could feel her blood hammering violently against her veins, her heart beating just as wildly and the warmth that had settled into her bones spread like a wildfire, burning like ice.

_It was the feeling of home. Uzushiogakure was home._


	7. The bond between Kith & Kin

Her visit to her homeland had been joyous. Naruto felt as though she had finally found the tether she needed to ground her, the tether she needed that helped assure her that she had a clan, a family, once upon a time in the past. Uzushio was infused with chakra of the Uzumaki's. With every step taken, the soil hummed, as the earthy scent surrounded them. _It was refreshing._

And despite the rubbles and broken homes and its overall less than satisfactory appearance, it was still beautiful. And whilst it lacked the presence of living beings, the tranquility that came with it soothed Naruto. This broken village, that was nothing more than dirt and soil, felt home to her more than Konoha ever did. And for one small second, Naruto wondered if she could rebuild her her once fallen village and bring it to be the fearsome village it had been once and see if she could gather the last remaining Uzumaki's.

But she knew as her status as a Jinchuriki wouldn't allow her for it chained her down to people who held no love for her. And she- herself- wouldn't allow for that to happen for she had people back in Konoha. People she cared a tad too much just to up and leave. But Naruto promised herself that even if she couldn't rebuild Uzushio, she could damn well gather their history, round up the remaining Uzumaki's and have them settle in Konoha. She would do it. She wouldn't tolerate her own failure. No. Never. It wasn't an option. It would never be an option.

The days spent in her homeland flittered past as Nagato parted ways with them with the promise of meeting again sometime in the distant future. It was only her and Jiriaya now, on their next round of adventure and Naruto wonders what awaits for them once they leave the confines of Uzushio.

* * *

The weeks bled into months with Jiriaya teaching her the ropes of his role of spy master and Naruto rather enjoyed it. It was freeing and not constricting. It didn't chain her down in one place for to long, giving her the sense of freedom and independence that she had always longed for since finding about her status as a Jinchuriki.

And whilst being a spy master came with it's difficulties, it wasn't something she couldn't overcome. She had Jiriaya teaching her the ins and outs of all aspects of danger that she could be ensnared in to, and he was a bloody brilliant teacher, despite his rather proactive hobbies he indulged himself in.

There were also the times when she would be gathering intel, that Naruto wondered if she truly wanted to pursue her dreams of becoming a Hokage, if it was as liberating as being a spy master- which she knew it wouldn't be- , and there was always that tiny voice in the back of head, that belittled her for wanting to becoming Hokage, for wanting to protect those who shunned, bullied and outright abused her. And whilst her inner self made valid points, she wouldn't do what they did to her for she would be nothing more than a hypocritical, spiteful little girl.

_And whathappiness would it bring her to enjoy others misery when this spiteful world was filled with nothing but pain and destruction_ ?

Naruto supposes if she can't make being Hokage, she'll most definitely take up the mantle of spy master from her Godfather. And she knew she would enjoy it if it ever came down to that.

* * *

A year has passed since he's last seen her and Kakashi feels hollow, as though a piece of himself as left him again, and in some ways it had.

He hadn't realised how Naruto's constant presence in the village had made his life less mundane and more hectic, _more worthwhile._ And he just wants to be in her shadow once again, staring at the phantom of Minato sensei that left in her wake, that merged with her own blinding personality, which at times would be loud enough to dull out Obito's last word, distort Rin's smile as she jumped in front of his chidori and cease the noise of a rampaging Bijuu, only if for a moment.

But now he's gone back to being the Kakashi before taking on team seven, and with Sasuke being trained by his father and brother and Sakura under Tsunade's tutelage, he finds himself from sunrise to sunset, bowing before carved stones, praying to ghosts long gone as memories of those people flitter in his minds eye.

He's lived and seen everything this world has had to offer him and finds enjoyment no more in the gift that's called life, and Kakashi wonders if he would have found enlightenment in his life if he turned rogue for Konoha had lots all its appearance to him, simply becoming the village that cost him the lives of those whom he had treasured.

In his eyes, Konoha had become a morbid reflection of himself, for it was nothing but a shadow of its former self. War had tainted it and it's traumatising experience had left it's people as nothing but walking corpses. It had been reduced to nothing but a desolate canvas that would not recover for years on end- much like himself- and Kakashi wants to be enclosed in the arms of death as though they had been long lost friends.

It's then he realises- that morning, with no Sakumo, no Obito, no Rin, Minato, Kushina and Naruto, that he no longer thinks Konoha of home, but simply a place that would make do for it bears happy memories of those long gone.

He's lost in his own memories of the past, all the feelings and emotions he's kept bound and sealed, finally explode in a torrent, ready to tear him apart. And deep within his subconscious, there's an echo of emotions of his father's heart beat dying, taking a piece of him with him...

...it's then filled with Obito's. _Ba bump, ba bump_ , _ba bump._ It's three syllabus and he understands the message clearly.

_Ka...Ka...shi_. And the bloodied friendly smile never leaves his self proclaimed rival turned best friends face, even in death and Kakashi finds his respect grow for the boy turned man for he had become something Kakashi could never be. _A hero._

And Rin, Minato and Kushina followed through, and their heart beat was six thumps and Kakashi thinks it fitting for they had died for _Ko..no..ha..ga..ku..re_.

And Kakashi see's the red string of fate connecting them all. So many of his previous people were dead, nothing to be remembered by except for hunted memories that left him trapped in the insanity that is his mind. He wants to scream, howl and cry for his loss, for the pain he has been dragged through. _All losses and no gains._

They had all been born in war and had died in war, all dying a heroes death, and he wonders if he would end in war as well. He doesn't wish to die a heroes death - but he remembers once, a conversation with his long gone father, whom he had told he wanted to die a death befitting a Hokage, but he now knows that it was simply nothing but a child's naivety. He isn't capable of such a feat when his life has been nothing but failure: he had failed in saving Obito, protecting Rin, loosing his sensei and his surrogate sister, and later abandoning the child whom he could have become an older brother to.

So no. He supposes a death worthy of a Hokage is one he doesn't deserve... _but a certain Uzumaki will think otherwise. And it'll be years later, in the not so distant future, that his guilt will crumble and in his place will rise the man his father knew he would be._

* * *

They both hadn't expected to have a conversation so emotional between them for one couldn't stand the other whilst the other drowned himself in guilt, grief, hatred and regret, but sometimes **,** it's conversation like these that help mend old bridges.

"I wanted to save him you know." His voice is thick with emotions, the underlying tone of pain so apparent in his distorted voice that it causes Shisui to flinch back. "But I couldn't." Kakashi carries on. His fingers softly drumming against the table in a soft rhythm. It's irritating and borderline grating on Shisui's nerve for that noise is their only companion in the suffocating silence— highlighting what little space is between two fully grown adults in the confines of Naruto's kitchen space— the air between them is constricting, as though each are drowning in the others grief. It makes Shisui feel sick and disgusted with himself. How low had he stooped in blaming Kakashi for Obito's death and later his mothers?

"You know what his last words were?" Kakashi asked as he smiles a bitter smile, eyes full of self mockery and hatred that he has kept under lock and key for a good portion of his teen years and now his early adulthood and Shisui wonders if life had truly fucked him over to the point were it had left him nothing more than a shell of a person.

The shame and regret in the man's eyes has Shisui turning away, swallowing his own lump, finally realising how he has contributed to this man's _fragility_.

Everything he supposedly thought he knew about Hatake Kakashi, had been nothing but mere illusions cast by an adolescent full of anguish, pain and suffering. One that had suffered at the hands of their village, forced to see everyone he loved being taken one by one in the burning cold grasp of the Shinagami.

He had blamed the silver haired man for his loss, whilst Kakashi has suffered a fate worse than death. Loneliness. A path of loneliness and self destruction. The man had lost more than he had gained, and yet here he was, dragging a broken man in a child body in a game of battle of wills- a man who was beyond saving for his mind had trapped him into a never ending cycle of insanity, replying the lives he had taken like a broken cassette, whilst he -himself- lived an insanity free life.

_And Shisui can't help but think who he had he been to dictate when he forgave who?_ It hadn't been Kakashi's fault for Obito's death. Shinobi's were taught to take lives, not save them. Shinobi were constantly surrounded by death- _for it would forever more be their companion_ \- and Obito, much like his fellow brothers and sisters in arms, had fallen into the loving grasp of death, dying a heroes death and leaving nothing but his corpse and memories in his shadow.

Kakashi had simply been an innocent bystander in regards to his older brothers death, and Shisui had no right to further mutilate a broken soul who had suffered before he could become a pillar of emotional stability for himself.

Tragedy had followed Kakashi since the death of his father. There was a story behind each death of a precious person he had experienced - _Hatake Sakumo was suicide, valuing the life of a comrade more than a mission, Uchiha Obito committing a selfless act so Hatake kakashi could live in his place. Nohara Rin was suicide, doing it for the sake of Konohagakure. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina dying to protect both their child and their village. A_ ll five leaving Kakashi to wallow in grief - had left its own internal scar- and later painting a vivid picture once the stories have been recited like the Shinobi motto: _To be a Shinobi means to be a tool, to be wielded by someone with more power. And to be the perfect Shinobi means to be the perfect tool and vice versa._

Kakashi had lived a life of servitude, confined against his own will in some ways for he served a village that muttered lashes of soft spoken words behind his back. _Friend-killer Kakashi_ being the most loved among the civilian - whom had no right to put their own sickle in for they lived a life long wished by Shinobi's.

"Those who break the rules are trash but..." Kakashi starts off in response to his own questions, but Shisui is quick to cut him off.

"I'm sorry." He whispers out. He couldn't do this— letting the man reminisce memories of a child long gone- when it seemed like it was his own personal hell to relieve these memories despite the longing and nostalgia so clear in his voice.

It pains Shisui for he had never realised how much Kakashi had truly come to care for Obito. And Shisui knew that Obito's death was the catalyst that set Kakashi on the path he is on today.

Experiencing the death of a comrade is a Shinobi's worst nightmare. Shisui should know more about that for that had been how he had awakened his Mangekyo— seeing the death of his first friend, the one who had picked his broken shards after the death of his brother and not long after, his mother— and Kakashi was going through the same thing.

_How blind had he been to not notice the kindred spirit that lay within Kakashi was the same as his?_

The silver haired man had become a walking corpse, barely functioning and only doing the bare necessities to get by day in and day out. He had become nothing but the compulsion and lies he drowned himself in, — as well as the off handed comment thrown in by the random civilians who thought they were entitled to discuss Shinobi business—, forging his whole being, dictating his broken shards he now called his personality. Shisui knew that Hatake Kakashi was more than the hatred and guilt he consumed himself in, but he was far too gone, far too broken to be saved.

_And he was partially to blame._

And Shisui wondered if he had been in Kakashi's place, if he would scream, howl and beg for mercy until his vocal collapsed on him— for him to stop drowning in failures beyond his control, and for the pain to just simply end, to feel nothing because it would certainly be more welcoming than to drown in grief that leaves you a walking corpse.

"A wise man once said", Kakashi cut him off, eyes distant and the drumming of his fingers matching the pace of their heartbeats: "Hey guys, sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

And with those words, Shisui can tell that everything may turn out all right in the end and the bridge between them has been mended, for grief had warped and distorted them beyond comprehension that they had lost themselves on the road of life, shedding what humanity that had once followed in their wake.

But with these simple words that had the man had uttered, Shisui believes Kakashi may not be as broken as he thought him to be.

It would no doubt be a slow progress to rebuild the broken shards Kakashi now called his personally as well as mending the man's distorted beliefs in himself, but there's hope there — _a flicker of fire burning so lightly in him that Shisui is afraid that a simple breath he exhales will flicker it out of existence and Hatake Kakashi will cease to be no more - a_ s though he would become one with the wind, traces of his existence vanishing in the shadows cast by the buildings and darkened by the moonlight.

But it'll be worth mending such a broken soul. He owes it to him, for Kakashi had only had ever experienced fleeting moments of happiness as long as a new born babes cry and Shisui promises to change that.

_And because Shisui knows how it feels to have the weight of the world on your shoulders, to feel burden by measures beyond your control, and simply having that someone help you through your darkest time by become your saviour, you confident, your friend, makes life that much more worth living for._

_And Shisui would be damned if he didn't become that person._

* * *

The seasons change as another year passes in the company of Jiriaya and Naruto learns the tragedy that surrounds as well as folowa her sensei- Hatake Kakashi- and it answers her questions as to why he had always kept his distance with her, why he would look at her as though she was a painful memory of his past.

And in some ways she was, because with her looking like her father - minus her hair- and her father being her Sensei's sensei, it was no wonder Kakashi would stare at her with such nostalgia and pain that it would unnerve her at times.

And whilst she somewhat understood her Sensei's demons, there was also a part of her that wanted to hate the man for he had the power to make her childhood better than it had been, but it was the revelation that he would dispose of those who harmed her that conquered the festering hate building within and in replacement blossoming it into one of tender care.

And who was she to expect so much of a fourteen year who has been dragged through hell and back. He had only been an adolescent who only knew pain and suffering in his short life. So all in all, Naruto promises to be there for Kakashi and help in repairing the damage done to him in the past decade or so when she returns to Konoha.

And as weeks bleed into months, her nonexistent relationship with her furry tenant does not improved as much as she would have liked it to, and not in the sense where she couldn't control it's chakra - for she could only control up to two tails- but in the sense of wanting to become... friends?...acquaintances.. or better yet comrades even, but the damned fur-ball would forcefully kick her out of his domain, muttering about damn Uzumaki's and their penchant for being too damn nosey.

And on the rare days when she was able to ask her question, such as why he had attacked Konoha, he would provide her with the same reply he had in the chunin exams: " _You would do well to ask your Uchiha about their blasted eye and if they provide you with an answer I deem good enough, I shall answer your question you damned Uzumaki."_

So it was with a defeated sigh that Naruto had stopped badgering the fox and focused her time with her Godfather, devouring knowledge after knowledge until Jiriaya had deemed her strong enough to tackle on Sage mode and learn Senjutsu in the remaining last five months together. .

And as spring merged into summer, and she had become a Sage, her three years with Jiriaya came to an end, it was finally time to head back to Konoha.

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple infiltration mission. Get in, get out. But they had clearly underestimated the genius mind of the Snake Sannin and Shisui regretted being so cocky and arrogant in his skills for it had lead to his comrades being taken down brutally, leaving him and Genma the last men standing.

He hoped they would survive this ordeal and get home in one piece, but Shisui knew their chances at escaping was slim to none.

Orochimaru's hideout was a maze, filled to the brim with Shinobi's who had been dissected and repaired into machines of Orochimaru's infatuation. And if Shisui wasn't fighting for his life, no doubt he would praise Orochimaru's work despite the unorthodox and barbaric lengths it took to produce them.

And as Shisui faced off against his own opponent, he realised he and Genma had been separated and he stood in what seemed to be a murky, cold and worn cave that looked as though one touch would dissolve it into dust. An old, worn threadbare chair was present and what seemed to be a casket long before his time.

And with his attention drawn to his surrounding, his opponent didn't hestiate to take advantage of it, releasing a shower of crystals, one impaling him through his midsection, as he deflected the rest with his kunai before it could leave him incapacitated and at the mercy of the women. And before he could release his own attack, the woman left, leaving nothing but small glittering crystals in her wake.

Shisui thought nothing of it, taking it as the chance to slide down the cracked walls of the cave as he let out a pain filled sigh as he removed the crystal from his abdomenen, lifting his shirt as he applied the basic Iryo ninjutsu he knew before wrapping it in bandages.

And as he proceeded to get up, the wind changed direction as it skittered around his exposed skins as a suffocating new chakra presence entered his range.

Spinning around with his tanto in hand, Shisui was met with sight of a swirly orange mask, donned with a black cloak with its signature red clouds outline in white. One Sharingan eye meeting his lone one.

"Why don't we have a little chat, Uchiha Shisui."


	8. The laments of Uchiha Shisui

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combined most of the chapters together so i'm sorry if your email kept blowing up with updates, BUT THIS CHAPTER is an update, hope you enjoy and sorry for any mistakes you may encounter.

Change is a constant matter in life- never motionless nor stagnant, but much like the ocean waves when hurricanes and tsunami's touched upon them. It's a process that follows every individual - a must in order to progress towards the future. It's inevitable and no man or woman had escaped its clutches.

Change could be seen as Fate's accessory - a change in the winds direction and a butterfly flaps it's wing, shifting the weaves of fate, dictating what stays the same and what does not - such as whether a timeline branches away from its proper alignment or if everything stays the same. It's much like truth or dare. Picks and chooses who suffers the worst of the worst and who comes out victorious.

It's a simple concept really. Change is an inevitable, glorious tragedy that follows even the most insignificant person, lurking in our shadows, seducing us in it's hurricane and only a few ever leave it's clutches satisfied and pleased with their outcome, whilst others curse their luck to the seven pits of hell.

And Uchiha Shisui wondered, if by some means, if he was one of the many who cursed their lucks and this was his punishment for the man Kakashi had become.

If so, Shisui thought it to be a bit too cruel. _A bit too much and so painful._ He refused to believe that _this_ man - who'd stolen the face of what his older brother could have looked like if he had survived the Kannabi bridge mission - was his supposed dead brother.

Obito was a long gone memory and this _imposter_ had no right to wear his face and spout such nonsense - nonsense that seemed somewhat legitimate.

"All this for what? If you are who you say you are, then why do things that went against your goals and belief. What good did it do for you to try and kill your own clansmen/women. Why Obito?" His _brothers_ laugh is maniac, borderline murderous and that in itself is enough for Shisui to believe that this isn't truly the Obito he grew up with.

His Obito never had such a cruel laugh. His laugh had been filled with warmth and love, no matter the situation _. Obito's laugh was like Naruto's to the point it could rival hers._ So what could have happened in those years to turn his _brother_ into the monster he had now become.

"I am above lying, and truly brother dearest, certain circumstances has lead me to becoming who I am today."

"To the point you tried to get your own blood killed? What lead you down such a path Obito?"

"Of course, the annihilation of the Uchiha clan was a must, but clearly the prodigy you are had to go and thwart my plans. Not that it will matter soon enough. And that foolish brother is one of the reasons for what I have become today."

Shisui scoffed. His Obito wouldn't have such a petty emotion as jealousy get the best of him, but clearly he hadn't known his brother as much as thought himself to. "What about Oka-San. If not me, then why not her. You caused her all this grief and a year later, she follows you into the pure world, but you was never dead were you."

"There is apart of me that has not rested knowing the pain I brought onto Oka-san, but if everything goes to plan, I'll meet up with her again and I'll repay with my blood and sweat for the suffering I caused her." And both brothers knew those words were true, because if Shisui knew something indefinitely about his brother, was his ability to not go back on his words and with his love so pure and unwavering for their mother, Obito would no doubt make good of his words. _He was like Naruto in that aspect_.

 _But still;_ "You could have done so whilst she was alive, let her rest her soul easy before she passed away. Do you not feel angry that you indirectly caused her death. Did you even attend her funeral?" Shisui wants to cry and howl and scream. Why, why had his brother become the first thing he swore to never become. _A heartless monster._ What good could it bring for him. What pleasure did he find in becoming such an unsympathetic cretin.

"I had planned on coming back that day when Madara healed me, but seeing Hatake run that blasted Jutsu of his into Rin, killing her essentially, a part of me left with her and with Kakashi breaking his promise to protect her, Konoha had become nothing but a desolate canvas to me and held no purpose for me. But that needn't meant that I didn't miss Oka-San, but she had died not long after Rin. And as much as I may have loved you once foolish little brother, jealousy, hatred and suffering diminishes such disgusting emotion as love, so you had become nothing more than a memory long gone, living deep within my subconscious. And maybe it's the reason after years of being a coward I have sought you out."

Shisui doesn't know whether to cry or beat his brother silly because this wasn't his brother _Uchiha Obito_ but at the same time it was. A duality of sorts and Shisui doesn't know how to go about such controversy. It's fucking his mind up beyond recognition so he settles for crying, cursing the idiot his brother has become.

"It doesn't work like that Obito. You can't just fuck up someone life and come barging back after you've finished drowning in your pity party."

"Still the emotional idiot even at this age brother. You don't ever change do you foolish boy. But you are right. I didn't come seeking you out on a whim - well maybe - in simple words I want you to join me. Join me in fulfilling my dreams and once it comes to fruition, I'll make up for those years I've abandoned you." Shisui can't help but think his brothers are a bit hypocritical for Obito had always been an emotionaless sap who them on his sleeve for the whole world to see.

"And what makes you think I need you know of all times. I've taken care of myself since the tender age of nine. I don't need you acting like the guardian you should have been." Shisui snaps, as he fully processed his brothers last sentence, anger blazing in his eyes at the audacity of such negotiation.

"Ma ma, it was simply a mere suggestion. Do not anger yourself boy. Now will you join me or not. I did not seek you out to have an emotional family bonding with my idiotic, foolish little brother."

"And what is this dream you so dearly want my help in." Obito cackles with happiness, forgetting all decorum as he bounces around the cave in childlike glee, as though Shisui had handed him the whole world on a golden platter with such a simple question.

"The capture of the tailed beast. Each and every one of them. And with them in my arson, the Infinite Tsukuyomi will no longer be a goal but a reality. Achieving peace through a fake reality is infinitely more achievable than war and violence."

Shisui wonders what the difference was between the two, because in war, sacrifices are made and lives are lost, and with Obito's plan, nine lives - including his Uzumaki- would be sacrificed and lost, just for one man's distorted belief in achieving a fake reality.

This was no _Uchiha Obito,_ but a man's who goals and beliefs had become so distorted and warped beyond recognition that it stood against for everything he had believed in once upon a time.

It was as though Uchiha Obito existence had crumbled to dust, and in its place rose a misguided protected who sought out to make Uchiha Obito's dream a reality, despite the absurdity of the whole situation. _A duality of sorts._

And Shisui can't help but think that Obito was the definition of insanity. Pure and plain utter insanity. Shisui wondered how many Autumns came strolling in , how many Winters soon followed, knocking on Obito's door, Spring dancing in as time of rebirth, renewal and awakening settles in. And how many times the wind changed directions and the weaves of fate shifted as Summer came galloping in for Obito to come to such a conclusion and have the confidence and audacity to ask him to join him in his endeavours, when it clearly when against his own morals.

"Achieving world peace through illusion isn't peace Obito. It's an illusion, simple as. You can't force people to sacrifice their lives just for one man's belief. How low have you fallen? You've become a shell of whom you once used to be. Is this how you want to carry out your dreams and ambitions? Or have you lost sight of what they truly are because the world peace you want to achieve isn't the same as the one you wanted to achieve as a child."

Obito shrugs as though he needn't care for consequences he will sow. As though it was another minuscule matter that would happen.

"Peace is Peace Shisui. Whether it be fake, they won't realise once trapped into the infinite tsukuyomi and if they do, they won't be able to break out of it. So now it's a matter of you joining me or not."

"I'm sorry but I can't." Shisui doesn't understand why he felt the need to apologise, but he does - maybe it's his way of saying goodbye to a brother he thought he knew but Shisui supposes people change but it's the memories of those people that will never change, because memories don't tell lies.

"And that is your final answer is it foolish little brother."

"Yes."

"Then the next time we meet, we'll be on opposing sides. From here on forth, War will touch upon Countries that oppose to my endeavours in capturing their Jinchuriki's. Until then, do not die on me Uchiha Shisui."

* * *

Coming back to Konoha, Shisui knows he should inform his Hokage of what had transpired only mere days ago, but he can't bring himself to do that right now, not yet, not without telling Itachi first because Itachi always knows what to do and say. Itachi is a prodigy and always has the answers to his dilemmas. So Itachi first and then the Hokage if he doesn't chicken out.

But it doesn't go to plan for Itachi is out of the village and will be for some time and Shisui feels hollow and broken. He's lost without Itachi because that man is his tether. The one that grounds him and helps him in his decision making. He can always count on Itachi, but not this time round.

He understands the importance of telling your Hokage information in pertaining their village, and what he holds to him would either make or break Konoha, and there's something deep within Shisui that's afraid of rattling out on his brother, on his remaining direct family.

But it's his duty to his village that should come first, and not his twisted entitlement to protecting a brother thought dead. And it's Kakashi's broken face an image of Naruto's lifeless body that has him spilling out every detail to his Hokage who's in fury at his somewhat treasonous based actions, but she thanks him for finally coming out with the truth.

He feels bitter and hollow and wishes he had been ignorant to Obito's survival and distorted belief and his endeavours - which is so much like child's naivety and hope in achieving world peace. He wished his _brother_ hadn't tainted him with his presence, wished he had become death and blind to Obito's continued existence. _Wished with all his being that his brother stayed supposedly dead_ , because he wouldn't have to worry about the mess that Obito would no doubt create in the name of peace. Obito had become misguided and tainted and was no longer the innocent and carefree Uchiha Obito, but would become a man with too many sins to start anew if he carried on with his distorted beliefs.

Ignorance truly had been bliss as long as you never knew about the illusions cast by an adolescent full of jealousy, hatred, pain and suffering. Shisui hopes his brother has a change of heart, but he doubts so because Obito's an Uchiha, and Uchiha's follow their ambitions till its complete, even in death, for it is simply a mere inconvenience to them.

-/


	9. Snapshots through time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dying to end this fic, so this is the last chap and will be written in snapshots, because truly I have no idea what to do anymore lmao. So hope it doesn't disappoint and hope you enjoy it. Sorry for any mistakes you may encounter.

**1**. Returning to Konoha was nostalgic yet different. The air was tense and constricting, as though tragedy would soon befall on them, casting them in it's moonlight as its shadows trapped them in grief.

Konoha was the same but yet not. It was disconcerting and the difference that was so tangible, had Naruto on edge , feeling as though everything would comeback connecting to her. And when she finds herself moments later in front of Tsunade, her thoughts are no longer just thoughts but the truth, a reality, for war would be waged for the existence and her and her fellow Jinchuriki's. Her life was now hanging by a thread as she and her fellow Jinchuriki's were wanted by a man thought long gone, and Naruto wonders what part of herself she would lose once war touched upon her lanky frame.

* * *

 **2**. It's a sad reality to know that she and Kurama shared the bond between kith and kin -- not that she minded. Both hated for reasons beyond their control because of the action of a madman's belief that he could control everything , had set their paths -- hers long before her birth and Kurama's since the beginning of time. And Naruto promises once this war begins and ends, she'll give Kurama the freedom of his paws touching upon luscious green locks as the wind caresses his fur-- the freedom he's longed for decades before her birth -- but for now, she'll enjoy their newfound friendship, and hoping that whatever comes their way that they would survive it, because Kurama deserves a chance at happiness, and if she was his ticket towards such a goal, then she'd trade a limb for it, because he deserved it for everything she and her ancestors had put him through.

* * *

 **3**. It's scary how she feels at peace around those who suffered a fate similar to hers -- the bond between Jinchuriki's is a funny thing Naruto thinks, as all the Jinchuriki's gather around in a circle in Turtle Island, weaving the tales of their childhood -- the abuse suffered by the hand of their village and in Gaara's case, family. And Naruto wonders, if she had been in Gaara's place, with no Shisui, Sasuke, Itachi, Nagato and Jiriaya, and her parents alive - as they tried to end her life - would she have turned out just as violent and cold and heartless, purging towards an end that was bitter and cold. A path of destruction and pain and mass murder. She thinks yes because it's a simple possibility. A change here and a change there is enough to make a difference and shift the weaves of fate. And because there's a hunger in her that screams for vengeance and retribution for the suffering done to her person by her own village.

They had directed their grief and anger at her..but whilst they had suffered, so had she. Eight years of her life she had no-one until Shisui came in, followed by the rest. And whilst that had grounded her some extent, this war that was happening because of her existence-- crumbled it to dust. She was something to be used.

_A means to an end._

She, with eight other lives, had suffered more than they had, so who were these people to treat her like dirt whilst she protected them from Kurama's rage for years on end, sacrificing a portion of her humanity to keep them save and take the blunt force of their grief.

And as much as Naruto may want to give them a taste of their own medicine, she was better than that. Violence only bread violence and humanity was full of hatred, so long as humanity existed, hatred would also exist. Both survived In each other's shadow, thriving even.

So she would be the better person, and bear the weight of their pain, and maybe, just maybe, this could set the foundation of Nagato's, Jiriaya's and her dream in motion.

* * *

 **4**. Grief is a funny thing Naruto realises. It's bittersweet and melancholy because when one grieves for another, it’s a hard pill to swallow that the person they are grieving for will never return and their fate had been sealed long before their birth. That their death had been written, and set accordingly, and no amount of detours and manipulation could change it.

It was a set process — secure in it’s will and never changing. Setting the reality that they would forever cease to exist in nothing but memories for some, and in writings for the world to read about their adventures.

 _Like Ero-Sennin_.

It’s hard pill to swallow and Naruto feels bitter and hollow. She had always been so naive in her belief that Jiriaya would never die, that death would never befall on him because he was... because he was Jiriaya. It was simple as that. Jiriaya was Jiriaya. But he had left the world too soon, without achieving his dream of lasting peace and ending hatred in Shinobi lands. He had only accomplished one of his dreams...

_“so I’ll settle with accomplishing a deed so great, that it will obliterate all my failures moments before my death.”_

...dying a death that obliterated all his supposed failures. He had given her his life and in return he put his trust in her — since long before her birth and up till his death. It’s...Naruto thinks it’s unfair for him to have so much trust in her. She’s nothing without him really, simply the shadow that had grown under his tutelage. And that’s exactly what she was . A shadow and Jiriaya had been her sun, feeding her his light and she had grew and he was no more — having become one with wind— and that left her as nothing but a washed out shadow with no stability as his death rocked her whole foundation silly.

It was hard to come to terms that the man whom she had found a father, a friend, a confidant and a mentor in— had truly left everything in her own two hands. Hands that had never killed and in replacement spoke and befriend her enemies...like she done with Kurama..and..and it’s then Naruto realises why Jiriaya had left everything to her. She was his hope, the one who could truly make a change and he had seen that in her long before anyone else could.

So..so she’d grieve for him now and once done, it would only be a matter of her stopping _Shisui's brother._

And she'd make Ero-Sennin's dreams become a reality -- and he'd be there to see it every step of the way... _because...because Legends Never Die - so he won't._

* * *

 **5**. _It's a farce, it has to be._ But she knows it isn't. It's called being a human and it leaves a bitter taste in her tongue. Their praises fall on death ears because she doesn't want to hear it from the same people who once shunned her. Yes, she had saved them, but it had been done out of duty for her village. Out of the love she had for Jiriaya , Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke, because they loved this village. And it's their hypocrisy that brings light to a truth she had pushed aside.

A truth she had discovered during her years with Jiriaya. Konoha was nothing to but a desolate canvas to her.

It was the people in there that mattered, well the few she had and she had no qualms about up and packing as long as they were with her because they were her home.

Konoha's citizens never held any love for her and she them. It was simple as. She had delusioned herself into believing she did; for Shisui and her Uchiha's and later Jiriaya. If she could say with confidence and her life on the line, moving from places to place felt more like home than Konoha ever did.

And it was that realisation that being a Hokage was something she forced her mind into accepting because being Hokage meant to be acknowledged and respected. And she had spent most of her childhood chasing such silly notion, but then growth came in the form of Jiriaya-- a man's who abilities surpassed being one of a Hokage, and that had been what set Naruto on her new path.

So she supposes once this _Obito_ sets ceasefire and she helps win this war, she'll carry her Goddfathers legacy and protect the village he loved from afar. The connection was there, but it was mostly for a man who believed in her long before her birth , so in return, she'd protect the place he saw as home.

And in the process, she'd be protecting her three idiotic boys, so it was a win-win situation and no love would be lost.

* * *

 **6**. War was something she had never experienced, but the mere seconds on the battlefield has her soul crying, begging to leave and save her skin, but she can't. She's no coward and it's her pride of not wanting to owe these people any further then she has to, that she would fight this war, and hopefully come out victorious. It sounds silly, even to her hears, but she has to. If she doesn't, her parents and Jiriaya's death will be for nought. Kurama wouldn't get his freedom, and he and his siblings would be stuck in an endless abyss, living a life of servitude to make one's man distorted belief on world peace become a reality, despite how fake it would be.

* * *

 **7**. Sacrifice...it's not a pleasant word, no matter it's context. But for people to scarfice themselves _for her, for them,_ because after years of shunning their existence, they _now_ saw value in them. She doesn't like it one bit. It feels wrong, disgusting and just...and just so wrong.

A life is a life, and sacrifices shouldn't be made so carelessly, especially when you don't know the person, so seeing her fellow brothers and sisters fall to the ground, bruised , battered and bloodied, it brings a different kind of rage in her, one so potent, that it almost feels like Kurama's when hate was so present in him.

She may have no love for them, but they had family and they...they would win this war, so why. Why where they giving up their lives for her instead of fighting. Didn't they understand they had better chance at _surviving, at fighting,_ and doing so, would rocket their chances at winning.

But their honour, and pride as a Shinobi lead them to believe it was a good way to die. Didn't they understand sacrifices only worked when it turned in their favour, but loosing their life further pronounced that they had bulldozed into a loosing battle.

_"The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives, but how he dies and what he had done momentsbefore his death."_

* * *

**8**. Betrayal? She's experienced it once, with jiji, she remembers. He had lied about not knowing who her parents were and why she was hated. But that had been for her safety. But for _sweet, loving and ever so pacifist Itachi_ , who hated war and took displeasure in being a Shinobi, had turned traitor, and it hurt like no other. The place where her heart belonged to Itachi felt cold, motionless and in so much pain, as though the Shinigami had plunged his way into her body, squeezing her organ with his skeletal hands, peeling the veins from her heart.

_It hurt, so very much._

_But this wasn't her Itachi right?_

_Not her Tachi. Not the one who would ask her to make him dango before missions. Not the one who would fall asleep on her lap as she stroked his hair._

_This wasn't her Itachi, but an imposter._

_Never Tachi, no way in hell would he betray them, betray her._

And it was with relief that as she slashed at the supposed Itachi that it revealed it was one of the many white Zetsu's.

_Tachi was good, never bad, always good. Yeah that's Tachi for you. Never bad. Always good._

* * *

**9**. Reunions are bittersweet Naruto thinks as she watches her Shisui and Kakashi fight with a man who's distorted views had disintegrated to nothing but ashes. And in its place rose a misguided protector.

They're alike she thinks as she listens to him weave a tale, but were he had given up, she hadn't. _She was the Uchiha Obito who hadn't given up._ But she understands Obito had dealt through more pain and suffering than her and was undoubtedly a good soul, who had been manipulated like a pretty doll, to be used and later discarded.

She wonders if Obito had came back and _Rin?_ hadn't died, would Uchiha Obito become Hokage like he wanted to? Would he achieve peace? She thinks he would, for he was able to bring the Great Five Nations to work together, all banded together in protecting their Jinchuriki's, stopping the enslavement of humanity, putting aside their hatred to fight one common enemy. And if they could carry this alliance on, it would be...

..like Ero-Sennin's dream and Obito had made it somewhat a reality...and all she would have to do would defeat him, and hopefully, this tragedy, would bring them closer, for they would all understand each other's pain and grief.

_And that meant..._

There was still hope, Han, B and she still had their Bijuu, so she could save everyone with these two hands, and hope for the best, by God she would, and her enemy had lit aflame her sparks that now roared so deep within subconscious-- shattering all doubts she had in herself and her fellow brothers and sisters in arms.

_It was a gamble -- but she'd sacrifice every limb if it meant everything would come to fruition. For Jiriaya ._

* * *

**10**. It's war and she's not supposed to be selfish. There are other lives to think off, but.. but she can't lose Shisui, not now and not ever. He's already touched death once and she refused to let it happen to him again, and even if it was war, she could be selfish just a little , so harassing Sakura into prioritising Shisui before the others was something she didn't regret, something she couldn't because she'd do it again -- for any of her precious people and because she refused to let them go. They were hers and death wouldn't take them away from her till she said so.

* * *

 **12**. Stories do heroes and legends injustice, because seeing her father and the rest of the Hokage's fight showed just how many worlds apart they were. The newly alive Madara was formidable and unmatched. Had stormed through their forces like an atomic bomb with pure taijutsu, but to see Hashirama live up to the intensity, it soared her hopes through.

She prayed they would come out alive and sane from this ordeal.

* * *

 **13**. "He was a good man. I think me and him would have gotten on well." It's hard to see him cry for Shisui had been nothing but a strong pillar, never unwavering and always firm. He had gotten his brother , freed him from Madara's , only to slip through deaths door as he protected his brothers back.

"And now he can rest easy, meet Rin and make up to Oka-san, he owes her that, that foolish brother of mine."

And Naruto's glad that the two brothers mended the bridge between them. And now that Obito could rest easy, they'd carry out his will, his once childhood naivety that stuck to him even in death.

Uchiha Obito's dreams were crushed, and Tobi had sought out to make it out a reality, despite the absurdity of the whole situation. But in the end, Uchiha Obito died a death worthy of a hero-- no a legend -- because heroes die, but legends live on.

* * *

 **14**.Their destiny was written in the stars, decades before their birth, bound by the actions of a madman's belief that he could control everything.

Their lives had always been so interconnected, and had been for decades on end, reincarnated in different forms. She his sun and he her moon and Shisui thinks it's perfect, because it's so them.

 _Indra and Asura. Madara and Hashirama . Shisui and Naruto_.

And Shisui wonders if this was the connection he had felt all those years ago when he had laid his eyes on her for the second time. She had been born to be his, and his forever more. It pleases him to no end, and despite being half dead in the middle of a war and talking to a man who set the foundation out for their world, Shisui could only think about Naruto;

_Their past, present and future._

_Yeah_ , he thinks, _there's no time like the present,_

"Once this war finishes, I'm marrying you." It's a statement, a fact, a simple warning so she doesn't scream her head off when he kidnaps her and changes her name from Uzumaki to Uchiha. _She had always been his_ and he just wants them to know it.

"And I love you bastard, but ya don't propose to a girl when she's half dead!"

-/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's beyond shitty but truly, I just don't feel the love for this fic as I once did before, and it's riddled with mistakes, but maybe after I finish Ghost Of Tomorrow, I'll come back to this and rewrite it.
> 
> Love M. See you on the other side, I think?


End file.
